Christmas at Pemberley
by megosborne
Summary: Newly-married Mr and Mrs Darcy look forward to celebrating Christmas and Georgiana with them, but Elizabeth is determined to matchmake just a little...
1. Chapter 1

_A/N - This is the first story I've shared here in...a while! I really miss it though and am hoping to get back to sharing stories here on the semi-regular going forward. _

_I hope you like this sweet little Christmas tale featuring a newly-married Mr and Mrs Darcy preparing to celebrate Christmas at Pemberley! xx_

* * *

Mrs Elizabeth Darcy tiptoed lightly down the north-facing corridor of her new husband's estate, Pemberley, before pausing, frowning, and retracing her steps. This strange pattern of behaviour was repeated twice, which might not have drawn any notice at all had her path not taken her past the doorway to a certain study once, twice, three times.

Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy heard his wife's footsteps the first time and ignored them, growing used to his new wife's restlessness and noting, absently, that the inclement weather likely kept her confined to the house, but no amount of inclement weather would keep her from walking. When she retreated past his door twice more in quick succession, however, he looked up from the ledger he had been studying, his interest piqued.

"Lizzy?" he called out to her. "Is something the matter?"

His question arrested her progress and he heard a light laugh, the sound that had first caused him to fall in love with the young lady who was now his wife.

"No!" she called back, with complete confidence that lasted only a moment, before a second, clarifying answer came. "Yes." Another pause. "Perhaps."

The footsteps began again, leading this time to the doorway to Darcy's study instead of directly past it and she paused, framed by the oak frame and wearing a look of consternation on her face.

"Explain." Darcy set down his pen, folding his arms in front of him and looking questioningly up at his wife.

"It will soon be Christmas," Lizzy began, darting a glance towards the grandfather clock in one corner of Darcy's austere study as if every tick of the hands reminded her how close this particular holiday was drawing.

"It will," Darcy said, fighting the urge to smile at his wife's evident anxiety. It was so rare a thing for him to see Elizabeth looking anything other than at her ease that he rather enjoyed it, although he would never confess as much, and indulged in amusement only because he thought he might relatively easily find a solution to her worries.

"The first Christmas I shall spend at Pemberley." She paused, chewing on the inside of her mouth. "The first I shall spend _hosting_ at Pemberley."

"Oh?" Darcy cocked his head to one side, lifting an eyebrow as if this was news, indeed, and the very first he had heard of it.

"Do not tease me!" Lizzy said, her eyes flashing warningly, and Darcy, immediately contrite, got to his feet, crossing the floor of his study in three long strides and dropping a kiss on his wife's forehead.

"It is to be the first Christmas we shall _both_ spend hosting at Pemberley. Why do you think the whole responsibility must fall on your shoulders?" He peered out into the deserted corridor. "And where is Georgiana? Has she no say in this?"

"She has responsibility enough," Lizzy said, with a dismissive sniff. "Responsibilities you shall not worry your head about nor interfere in." She smiled, sternly, until Darcy nodded in agreement. "But I have been considering decoration, and I cannot decide what best to do for this corridor."

"This corridor?" Darcy frowned. "What need have we to decorate it at all? I assure you no guests shall care to visit me in my study - because I shall not dare to cross its threshold myself for the entire duration of our guests' stay," he hurried out, forestalling Elizabeth's cry. Whilst their short marriage had been preceded by a not-entirely unproblematic courtship, Lizzy had come to understand her husband's desire for solitude. But understanding did not guarantee agreement, and she had already assured him that he would not be permitted to absent himself whenever he chose to during the holiday. He smiled, thinking that, in inviting the Gardiners rather than Lizzy's more immediate family, he would have little need to hide. He liked Mr and Mrs Gardiner and their children and was secretly quite looking forward to hearing the sounds of laughter and conversation bouncing off the walls of Pemberley this Christmas. _I have too often sought to be alone: perhaps it is time to embrace something different now,_ he mused, realising a moment later that Elizabeth had begun to speak again.

"…It is so dark here, what with it facing north, and I am not sure if you have noticed how small the windows are. Not that that is a criticism, for they are quite pretty windows, I suppose, but I do not wish any additional decorations to look like clutter. I was considering moving some of the green boughs from the parlour, perhaps with mistletoe and of course holly." She frowned. "I did so wish to find some pretty red ribbon to tie the garlands together, but despite Mrs Potts promising me that she had some she has yet to produce it, and we are swiftly running out of time, and Georgiana -"

"Lizzy," Darcy said, patiently, managing at last to interject one swift, stilling word when she paused for breath. "Do you think there is some slight possibility you are letting things escalate a little? Things do not need to be perfect."

Lizzy sniffed and Darcy was forced to concede that it was indeed a little unusual to hear his own voice pleading a case for wilful imperfection. He shrugged his broad shoulders and smiled, welcoming the incongruity.

"What is most important of all, surely, is that we shall be spending Christmas together with each other and with our family." His smile grew. "_Our_ family, yours and mine. It is our first Christmas as husband and wife. The first, in fact, that we shall not be at loggerheads with one another."

Even Elizabeth could not resist smiling a little at this, remembering a time scarcely a year previously when the very notion of her standing in this very home with Mr Darcy not only by her side but also her husband would have been impossible even to countenance.

"I personally do not think there is anything wrong with this corridor. It is neither too bare nor too cluttered, too bright or too dark, but if you feel that a few swags of mistletoe and holly might improve it then, by all means, let us see to it." He drew in a breath, lifting himself up to his full height. "And in the absence of either my sister or Mrs Potts -" He lifted his eyebrows as if the idea that both of his wife's preferred helpers might have absented themselves precisely when she had need of them. "I shall offer myself a more than adequate to the task. If you shall direct, I am more than happy to secure as many green boughs as you care to have, in this or any other corridor."

"Goodness me, I hope you shall continue to be this amenable tomorrow, when my aunt and uncle arrive," Lizzy declared, smiling wickedly as she kissed her husband's cheek and darted back out of his reach. "My cousins are quite fond of climbing on broad shoulders and yours, my dear, are certainly suitable for just such a purpose."


	2. Chapter 2

Georgiana Darcy sat on what might have been her favourite seat in the whole of Pemberley - her piano stool. However, despite being afforded an hour entirely to herself and a pile of new music, her playing was listless and distracted. She made simple errors, tripping over her notes and forgetting the key so often that eventually she abandoned trying to play at all, crashing out one last, off-key chord and sinking her head into her hands with a groan.

_How unlike last year this Christmas is!_ she thought, allowing her mind to roam over all that had changed in the last twelve months. She was with her brother, which was always a blessing to her, and still more wonderful, she had gained a sister, for whilst he and Elizabeth had been married but a short time she had recognised in Elizabeth Bennet a kindred spirit, so that, had Darcy not acknowledged his feelings and proposed himself, Georgiana would likely have taken matters into her own hands to unite the pair just as soon as she could.

Why, then, was she so melancholy? She enjoyed Christmas. Advent was invariably her very favourite season. It ought to be still more so this year, for not only had the Darcy family grown by one member, they would be hosting the friendly and cheerful Gardiners, along with their children. Georgiana liked children and remained convinced that Christmas was never truly Christmas without them.

She could not help but feel a little lost, though. A little alone, even in the midst of the promised crowd of guests. William was married and happy, which state Georgiana rejoiced over, but being surrounded by such new wedded bliss served only to remind Georgiana how alone she was. Lizzy, far more sensitive to Georgiana's circumstances than she had expected her to be, still deferred to her on a great many matters of housekeeping, but still, Georgiana must cede her position in the house to Elizabeth, the new Mrs Darcy, and she could not help but feel a little superfluous.

There was a light knock at the door and Georgiana straightened, immediately lifting her lips into a smile as Elizabeth skipped into the room.

"Ah, here you are!" her sister-in-law exclaimed. Her bright smile dulled and she frowned at Georgiana. "I was not sure I would find you here, for it is so quiet!" She paused. "Or am I disturbing a moment of genius?"

"Hardly!" Georgiana said, stifling a yawn. "I think genius has entirely forsaken me today if indeed it ever graced me with its presence." She shrugged one shoulder. "I cannot concentrate on music this afternoon."

"Excellent, you will be in need of some occupation, then!" Lizzy declared, her eyes sparkling. She had been concealing behind her a basket of ribbon and lace, which she plonked unceremoniously down in the centre of the room. "I have to make a hundred bows, and you can help me!"

Georgiana eyed the basket ass if fearing it might spring into life.

"Would the servants not be better equipped to do that?"

"I dare say they would," Lizzy said, pulling a ribbon free and settling to the task. "If I had asked them. But I feel like this is a task I ought to undertake myself." She frowned as the ribbon slipped out of her hands. "At least, one I ought to attempt to undertake myself." Trying again, she succeeded in tying a knot and let out a yelp of frustration. "Jane was always much better at this sort of thing than me. She had far nimbler fingers. Like yours, Madame Mozart!"

Georgiana laughed, slipping from her stool and joining Lizzy by the basket. She slipped free a length of ribbon and fastened it in a bow, drawing Elizabeth's attention with the ease and speed with which she succeeded at the task.

"There! You are far better at this than I am! I shall delegate the task to you entirely!" Lizzy laughed, shoving the basket a little closer to Georgiana. "But I shall sit here and talk to you all the same." She paused, shooting her friend a tentative smile. "If you do not mind my company?"

"Mind it?" Georgiana shook her head, reaching for another ribbon and repeating her steps to fashion a second bow in the image of the first. "Why on earth should I mind it?" She let out a sigh, recalled to her previous lonely melancholy and was not quick enough to stifle her sigh. Lizzy leapt on it.

"There, you do not sound as if you do not mind it. Tell me the truth, have I interrupted you? Am I keeping you from doing what you would much rather be spending your afternoon doing?"

"No," Georgiana said, firmly. She plucked a completed bow and leaned over to Lizzy, fastening it carefully amidst her dark curls. "I was a little lonely, that is all. It is well remedied with you here."

"Lonely?" Lizzy frowned.

"Don't worry," Georgiana told her, returning to her task. "It was just a little bit of silliness. I love Christmas but this afternoon I could not help but miss Ge-" She caught herself just in time, swallowing the rest of her words and concentrating fiercely on her work, praying that Lizzy had not noticed the slip and would not discern the truth.

"I was thinking," Elizabeth mused, as if the idea had just occurred to her. "We ought to host a dinner and invite some of the neighbours. Although your brother has been kind enough to introduce me to many of them, I feel as if we have not yet fully settled into life here in Derbyshire. Christmas is the very time for making new friends and I am sure that a dinner celebrating the season might be the very thing we all need to really embrace the holiday. We might time it to celebrate the arrival of my aunt and uncle as well. What do you think?"

Georgiana pulled a face, imagining how quickly her brother would overrule such a suggestion.

"I am not sure if William will care to -"

"I am not worried about him!" Lizzy said, with a merry toss of her curls that loosened the bow and sent it floating down to join its neighbours. "I wish to see what you think of the idea, Georgiana. Do you like it? Would you help me to organise it?"

Georgiana nodded once, tentatively, then twice more with growing confidence. She would like to help her sister-in-law plan and execute a festive meal and it would be enjoyable to fill the Pemberley dining room with more than just the three of them.

"Excellent!" Lizzy clapped her hands. "I am sure between us we shall have no trouble at all in persuading your brother." She glanced up at the ceiling consulting an imaginary calendar. "How about this Tuesday? Will that be enough time for us to plan, do you think? It can serve a dual purpose then, to welcome my aunt and uncle to Pemberley. I do not suppose even William can say no to that!"


	3. Chapter 3

"What a wonderful excuse our dinner has proved to be for us to come shopping!" Lizzy exclaimed as she and Georgiana picked their way carefully down the crowded high street of the village high street. They were but a short carriage ride away from Pemberley. It was, in truth, nought but a short _walk_ from Pemberley, but Georgiana did not share her new sister's affection for walking, particularly when the weather was as cold as it was at present, and when Darcy remarked upon the possibility of snow that morning, Georgiana was moments from refusing to come out at all, until Lizzy suggested they might take the carriage and still go. Left with no recourse, Georgiana agreed and had even exhibited a small amount of excitement at the promise of shopping with her sister-in-law. Lizzy was satisfied, for she grew increasingly concerned about Georgiana's hiding herself away at home. Her desire for solitude rivalled that of her brother, although on Georgiana the characteristic did not suit nearly so well. It was plain to Lizzy that Georgiana was a lively, spirited girl, quick to make friends and fond of spending time with people - or at least she had been, before her run-in with George Wickham. Lizzy's lips turned down at the corner, as they always did when she was forced to recall that man's existence. That George Wickham not only existed in the world but that, by the fact of his marriage to her flighty sister Lydia he must now be considered a member of Elizabeth's extended family was almost too much to bear. Indeed, this was the only dark spot in her otherwise bright and happy married life. Almost instinctively, Lizzy tucked her arm through Georgiana's and snuggled a little closer to her.

"You are right about the weather though, it is certainly bracing!"

She shivered, grinning at Georgiana, who relented at last and smiled back, nudging Lizzy in the side.

"Bracing is one word for it! Look, there is a tea room up ahead. We ought to stop inside for a quarter-hour and take some refreshments. They are sure to have a fire, and we might warm up a little before continuing on with our errands." She peered at the list clutched in Elizabeth's other hand. "I presume you have more than one item on it?"

"You presume correctly!" Lizzy laughed, listing off the first of a dozen tasks. "I do not suppose we can achieve all in one afternoon, but if we can manage half I shall feel quite accomplished indeed."

"I do not suppose I shall be much help in selecting ribbons for your table decorations," Georgiana said, peering at Lizzy's delicate writing. "But I shall certainly not refuse to stop at the music shop." Her smile grew radiant. "I have had some new sheet music on order for a week now and dare to hope that it might arrive before Christmas."

"Then that shall be our very next stop!" Elizabeth declared. "After tea."

They reached the door of the familiar tea room, lit from within by a rosy, warm glow, and paused to stamp the ice from their boots - and feeling back into their numb feet - before crossing the threshold.

"Where shall we sit?" Lizzy asked, unwinding her woollen wrap from about her shoulders. "Is our table free?"

_Our table_ was one distinctly pretty one set in a corner where the entire floor might be viewed easily, by a window that overlooked the bustling street. It had been the table they selected the very first time she and Georgiana had come here to take tea together and had been the one they preferred above all others ever since.

"It is always well-positioned for observation," Lizzy said, meeting Georgiana's gaze and grinning. "And I am sure your brother will ask who and what we saw during our afternoon."

"If you think my brother cares for gossip then I fear you do not know him at all," Georgiana said, with a grin. "But he does care to listen to you, so I suppose you ought really to find something to tell him. Oh, bother! It is occupied." She sighed. "Well, there is another close by. Perhaps that will serve us just as well as its neighbour today."

The two girls made for the second table, a little disheartened by the cramped and shadowy corner they found themselves in, but determined to enjoy their stolen quarter-hour nonetheless. With tea ordered, and two slices of fruit cake that Lizzy could not be dissuaded from requesting, they fell to discussing their plans for the upcoming soiree.

"What a pity we shall have an odd number for dinner. I think it quite unlucky to host an odd number. That is dreadfully silly and superstitious I know, and if I heard those words coming from anybody else's lips I should laugh them out of their nonsense quite immediately but I confess…I fear I am becoming superstitious in my old age."

"Old age?" Georgiana groaned. "I hope you are not going to consider yourself old when you are merely married. The two are not synonymous." She paused. "You are only a little older than I am! And I do not think it is a bad thing that there is an odd number attending, for we shall be amongst friends and when that is the case what does it matter how many are present?" She paused before speaking again as if a thought had just occurred to her. "Although I am sorry that your sisters cannot be present. I suppose you must miss them dreadfully, and at Christmas too! What a pity Mr Bingley could not be persuaded to come north for the holiday."

"Yes," Lizzy acknowledged, pursing her lips as she thought over this possibility. Inviting Charles and Jane had been her first idea for Christmas but Darcy had reminded her, when she mentioned it, that if she was to do that then Charles would be duty-bound to bring Caroline as well. Neither one of them wished to endure Miss Bingley's presence for the holiday and when Lizzy raised the idea in a veiled letter to Jane she received a flurry of happy chatter from her sister by return post detailing all that she had planned to do in Netherfield for the season. Jane was too happy, too content. _And in any case_, Lizzy had reasoned to her husband. _It would be a little cruel to deprive Mama of all of her newly-wed daughters just in time for Christmas. _Darcy's brow had furrowed as if he anticipated a further suggestion from his new wife that they invite the Longbourn party, too, but she knew her husband well enough to know that that would be cruel indeed. He deserved to enjoy a little peace and quiet this holiday just as surely as she did.

The gentleman sitting at the table nearest them - _their_ table - harrumphed, and rather noisily shuffled his papers together, darting an annoyed look in their direction. Lizzy met Georgiana's gaze and the two young ladies burst into spirited laughter that only subsided when their refreshments were brought, wherein they fell once more to discussing their plans for the rest of the day and ignored their increasingly irritable neighbour.

_You may huff and puff all you like, sir_! Lizzy thought, saluting him with her teacup when he next glared in their direction. _We have just as much right as you to be here, and shall enjoy ourselves as much as we care to!_

She was pleased to see Georgiana smile again. Whatever melancholy had settled over her of late lift a little, and no bad-tempered bookworm would stop her rejoicing in the fact.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - Just popping on to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate, and if not...Happy Thursday! :)_

* * *

Mr Daniel Lambert drew in a breath and moved his chair a little closer to the table in front of him. It didn't help. Whenever he tried to make sense of the papers before him his eyes still persisted in blurring the words together so that he could scarcely tell his Joseph from his Josiah. He blinked, massaging the spot on between his eyes where his head had begun to pound mercilessly. _I shall never be ready in time_, he thought, turning to his bible and tracing the familiar passages with his index finger.

_For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace._

This was a passage he knew well enough that he could recite it by heart: he had heard it every year of his life at this time and it would not even be his first time making the recitation. Why, then, was he struggling so to craft a sermon around it? _It need not be much_, he reminded himself, repeating the words his predecessor had said, before patting him briskly on the shoulder and remarking upon how very much he enjoyed the prospect of a Christmas when the responsibilities of sharing the gospel would not fall to him.

_This is the very thing I longed for, worked for, prayed for! _Daniel reminded himself, wondering how many times he would be forced to recall this fact before he began to appreciate that he had precisely what had been promised him: a curacy of his own, in the picturesque Derbyshire Dales. He glanced to the window, but instead of seeing the rolling hills he saw people, a great number of them. He shuddered and forced his attention back to his papers, reminded in spite of himself of the great responsibility he now bore. These people needed to be told the good news, reminded of the reason behind their celebrations, and if he did not finish his preparations there would be no sermon to offer on the most important of all holy days in the Christian calendar.

_For unto us a child is born__…_

"Do you think people will be content with beef? I did think of serving turkey, but that is so often what people choose to eat at Christmas that it seemed quite improper to serve at our dinner as well."

In spite of himself, Daniel's head lifted, his eyes seeking out the noisy young lady at the table closest to him. She had stopped looking at him, at least. He knew she was aware of his irritation, for, despite his best attempts at hiding it, his human frailty had permitted him several pointed exhalations and exaggerated attention to his work. Could she not see that he laboured over something important - far more so than what meal might be served at a dinner, in any case. _You have servants who might organise this, surely. Why not plague them with your endless opining and leave me to work in peace?_

It was not a kind sentiment, and he reproached himself for it immediately. The old Daniel Lambert would have been far more generous. He might even have smiled at the ladies, for they made a pretty pair, sipping their tea delicately and discussing an evening celebration they were still in the stages of detailed planning and preparing for. _If it were any other day but today, _he told himself. _I simply must get this finished and I cannot keep getting distracted by young ladies incapable of lowering their voices!_

This was uncharitable, and he saw the face of his own cousin, Margaret, in his mind's eye, poking him sharply in the ribs for being such a spoilsport. _Let the ladies have their fun, Daniel. Simply because you are a bore who cannot be torn from his books for an hour altogether does not mean we must all while away our time in studious silence_.

This made him smile in spite of himself, and the ache in his head dropped to his chest, which he rubbed absent-mindedly. He missed his cousin. She would be preparing for her own Christmas celebrations now with her husband and young son. His aunt and uncle would be visiting them, surely, enjoying the excuse to reunite the family.

His own family had not required the same excuse: his father was only too determined to remain in London and enjoy all that high society had to offer. He had little interest in country parishes, even the one that had landed in his son's lap. Or perhaps particularly this one!

"…you absolutely must play for us, Georgiana!" the lady opposite him was saying, turning her attention from dining to entertainment. She beamed at her friend and Daniel was forced to admit, again, only in the privacy of his own mind, that she was quite pretty when she smiled. Her eyes were bright with humour and he shuddered, almost in spite of himself, thinking he was not sure he would like to be at the mercy of those eyes, which would surely be as prone to teasing as his own cousin, and as merciless.

"I am quite sure everybody is tired of hearing me play, Lizzy," her companion murmured, and Daniel felt his ears prick up in spite of himself. She was the younger, he thought, for there was a meekness and a quietness in her that was not so evident in her friend. Where the elder of the two was dark-haired and quick-witted, her eyes traversing the room as quickly as her mind leapt from topic to topic, her friend was more careful. She spoke softly and with a consideration that made Daniel lean a little closer, almost unconsciously, to hear her better.

"They certainly have no desire to hear _me_!" The dark-haired Lizzy declared, swallowing the last of her tea and setting her cup down with a clatter. She tilted her head to one side, regarding her friend thoughtfully. "Although if you are playing you cannot dance and that will certainly not do!"

"I do not mind not dancing," Georgiana replied, colouring a little at the suggestion.

Daniel frowned. There was nothing so very scandalous about dancing at what must be a friendly neighbourhood party. Why was this young lady so reticent? Could she really be so very shy as all that?

She looked up at him, then, and he was so surprised that their eyes met for a moment before he was recalled to himself and managed to wrench his gaze away.

"I cannot work here!" he declared, eager to distract from having been caught in the very act of eavesdropping - which behaviour he quite despised in others and regretted discovering in himself. He shuffled his papers together so angrily that he knocked his bible to the floor with a resounding thump. Bending to retrieve it, he sent a sharp glare at the table the two young ladies sat at, now ceasing from conversing altogether to observe his performance. "It is too full of frivolous conversation to allow a fellow even a moment of peace and quiet. I see I shall be forced to take my work and go elsewhere!"

Snatching up his papers, he stalked noisily towards the door, ignoring the hammering of his heart in his chest and praying that his bluster concealed his embarrassment at being caught staring at the young ladies. They did not seem stunned by his outburst, rather amused. They were laughing at him! His heart sank. He was worse than an eavesdropper, worse than bad-tempered. He was a laughingstock. And he had not yet even set foot in his pulpit!


	5. Chapter 5

"Well!" Elizabeth exclaimed, bursting into laughter before their neighbour had even managed to close the tea-shop door behind him. "I do think that was a little uncalled for. The poor man. We must have been being quite unbearably loud and distracting!" Her eyes sparkled with fun as she lifted her teacup to her lips.

Georgiana was not so quick to appreciate the humour of their situation.

"It was entirely uncalled for! He was in a public place. He surely could not have expected silence. Why not work in his own study if he does not wish to be disturbed?" She shook her head. "What an obnoxious man. I do hope we shall not be forced to cross his path again." She frowned, thoughtfully, as she stirred milk into her tea. "I did not recognise him. Perhaps he is new to town."

"Or visiting," Lizzy suggested. "There are a great many strangers here who have come to stay with family for Christmas. My own family shall soon arrive to swell our numbers." Her lips quirked. "Some of my family, in any case."

This was a far more genial topic of discussion to Georgiana and she happily turned her attention to the arrival of the Gardiners and their plans for how best to enjoy the Christmas holiday in Pemberley.

"We shall have to visit the tenants, of course. Ordinarily, it is only William and I that make the visits, but I suppose he will prefer to do it with you this year." She was not quite unconscious of the wistful tone in her voice but hadn't realised how clear it was until Lizzy remarked upon it.

"You shall come too!" she asserted, looking at little affronted at Georgiana's careful omission. "I hope you do not think, Georgiana, that now I am here you have no role to fulfil in the effective running of Pemberley. It is still just as much your home as ever, and as evidenced by my utter reliance on you for the planning and preparation for our dinner I still very much need my new sister to help and advise me on how best to manage the estate." She shook her head, smiling a little in the teasing way she often did when referring to her husband. "Poor William is no help at all, for he grew up with this knowledge and believes, I think, that I have been gifted with it quite supernaturally upon the occasion of our marriage." She bit her lip. "I dare say I have already done all I can to correct _that_ notion…"

Georgiana smiled, recalling one particular dinner that did not end up being served until late into the night because nobody had thought to remind Elizabeth that she must arrange it. Sleepy, and too tired to do more than move their meat around on the plates, everyone had ended up going almost directly to bed, leaving the servants to clear up after them and it had taken a very diligent course of apologies and self-deprecation to restore the natural balance of power and affection between the servants and their new mistress. Fortunately, Lizzy made friends easily and Georgiana admired how quickly and easily she won back the hearts of those who worked for her, making her transition to Pemberley rather easier than it might otherwise have been. There were no more late dinners, although Lizzy had had plenty of other mishaps in her short time at Pemberley.

"I do not wish to be in the way," Georgiana said. "Many of the jobs that would once have occupied me now fall to you - as they should." She smiled. "Do not worry about me, Lizzy. I shall find something to occupy me soon enough, but at the moment I confess I feel a little adrift on occasion."

"You need a project of your own," Lizzy agreed, nodding slowly. "What about a recital? You are so fond of music. Why not put together a Christmas concert at the church?"

"And who would play in it? I hope you are not suggesting I -"

"No, no," Lizzy said, quickly, although her expression suggested that yes, this was precisely what she had been poised to suggest. "But you know the local people and their children. Surely there are plenty of them with who might be persuaded to put together a small choir." The pitch and fervour of Lizzy's voice rose, formulating her idea as she spoke it into being. "It would be a fine community event, and might even be used to raise funds for the poor and needy close to Pemberley. It will not take very long to plan and practice. It might take place on Christmas Eve! Wouldn't it be fun to plan such a thing?"

"You certainly seem enamoured of the idea," Georgiana said, nudging Lizzy's foot with her own. "But then it is your idea, so -"

"Oh, but don't you think it would succeed?"

"It might," Georgina conceded. She turned the matter over in her head. Performing in a concert would not be something she would seek out herself. Whilst she adored music and was fond of playing she had no presumption of playing for anyone outside of her own close network of family and friends. But she did like children, and she was popular with the local folk. She had even given one or two sewing and singing lessons, while her brother was away and she had languished at Pemberley eager for company. "I will think about it."

"I am quite sure the Gardiner children would eagerly take part if there is space for them," Lizzy continued, her voice sly.

"Lizzy! You have already dragged me into your plan for a meal, and your plans for Christmas. How many more schemes will you dream up with the sole intent of occupying my time?"

Georgiana's voice was sharp but she laughed as she spoke. She really was very fond of her new sister-in-law. She wished Lizzy did not see the need to think up things to occupy her, that she did not notice Georgiana's listlessness and low spirits, but she could not help but be grateful that she did. That, in all of this, God had seen fit to send Georgiana a sister and a friend, the very perfect person not only to be William's wife but to be her sister, and make their family complete in a way it had not been before.

Lifting her cup to her lips Georgiana took one last sip from her cup and pulled a face.

"My tea is cold!"

"So is mine," Lizzy replied, setting down her own half-drunk cup and brushing her hands lightly on her skirts. "Well, shall we make a move? We still have all of our errands to complete." She shot Georgiana a sly glance "And perhaps we might stop at the church on the way back to our carriage. I dare say the new curate would be delighted with your idea for a concert..."

"My idea?" Georgiana opened her mouth to contradict her, but Lizzy had already bustled towards the door, leaving Georgiana shaking her head in amused disbelief.


	6. Chapter 6

Darcy examined his ledger with care, adding his figures once, twice, three times, before signing off the page with a flourish. His eyes strayed from his work on more than one occasion to a smudge on one cuff, then to the clock on the mantel, then to the window. How was it, he wondered, that Pemberley, which had had always been his sanctuary and escape from the society he found most draining, now seemed too quiet to him? It was too empty without his wife and sister.

The clock seemed to tick too loudly, the wind blew too fiercely against the window and he was aware of every single creaking floorboard, every soft step and muffled word of his servants which ordinarily drew no notice from the young master of Pemberley.

Passing over one book, he turned to a sheaf of letters and began to look through his correspondence, which had been sorely neglected in the chaos of preparing for the first Christmas he and Lizzy would be spending as husband and wife. Chuckling to himself as he reread a letter from Bingley, who seemed to be adjusting to married life at Netherfield with as much enjoyment as Darcy had been in Derbyshire, he reached for a clean sheet of paper and his own pen and ink. Before he could strike the first word, though, a flurry of activity in the corridor distracted him from his task.

He stood, anticipating the return of his wife, and was surprised, instead, to be interrupted by the introduction of a visitor, not a member of the family.

"A Mr Lambert has come to call, sir. The new curate. Shall I show him in?"

"Yes, certainly." Darcy had managed to rearrange his features into some approximation of a smile just in time for the mysterious Mr Lambert to make his appearance.

"Mr Darcy." The young man clad in sober black dipped in a neat bow, before stepping forward to shake Darcy's outstretched hand.

"Mr Lambert." Darcy frowned, wondering where it was he had heard the name before. Clearly, the man was not acquainted with him, judging by the formality of his polite introduction. Yet the name was not unfamiliar. He cast a glance down at the pile of papers he had begun working through, sifting through it with one hand until he located a card. Before he could strive to examine it more closely, though, the man had spoken again.

"I hope you do not mind my calling on you, Mr Darcy. I do not doubt you are busy with your own preparations for Christmas." The man reached up to smooth his hair, dark and tousled from often having been raked through. It made him appear far more youthful than his years, and Darcy's lips quirked, reminded in some strange way of Charles Bingley. Clearing his throat, he spoke, eager to put his guest at his ease.

"Not at all, not at all. Do sit down, Mr Lambert," he said, taking the opportunity to slide back behind his desk and extricate the card. _Mr Daniel Lambert, curate_. His breath caught. _Of course!_ Pemberley's small parish church had been expecting a new curate for quite some time. The older minister in residence had, at last, stepped down, handing off the small church and all the parish obligations to a younger man, the very fellow who was shuffling awkwardly into a seat opposite Darcy at this very moment. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance at last," he said, surprised to recognise the truth of his statement.

"Thank you," Mr Lambert muttered, the ghost of a smile flickering across his pale face. He nodded, repeating the words for good measure. "Thank you, Mr Darcy. I have been meaning to call on you since my first arrival in the post, but -"

"You must be quite busy at this time of year, I imagine," Darcy said, kindly. He liked this man, recognising some of his own awkwardness around strangers and wishing to put him at his ease. "I cannot imagine it is an easy task to take up the position of curate at the church's busiest time of year!"

"No," Lambert admitted, surprised and a little relieved to have his position so clearly and immediately understood. He shook his head, his voice ringing with amusement. "No, it is not. I have been ably introduced by Mr Carter, but it is never easy to find one's feet in the midst of such chaos. This is the reason I made it my goal to call on at least a few of the first families of the village before Christmas, so at last, I may make a few acquaintances."

"What a pity you should choose to call now, in that case!" Darcy remarked, seeing, too late, the effect of his words on the nervous young curate, whose face fell. "You misunderstand me, Mr Lambert. I am not unhappy to make your acquaintance. Indeed, I am glad to do it, and to welcome you to Pemberley, and to Derbyshire on behalf of my friends and neighbours." He smiled. "We are not an unwelcoming community and I hope and trust you will find a home here. I merely mean that it is unfortunate you should call today, at this hour, and find me here alone. My wife and sister are not presently at home and I know that they would have liked to meet you." He nodded around the room. "I confess you should receive a far warmer welcome were they here."

Mr Lambert smiled a little awkwardly as if unsure what to say in response to this.

"And yet, I believe I have a suggestion that may aid us both!" Darcy clapped his hands, delighted that the notion should come to him now, while the man was sitting before him, and knowing that his wife would certainly applaud him for his initiative. "In a day or two, my wife and I are hosting a small dinner to celebrate the arrival of my wife's aunt and uncle. A few neighbours will be in attendance and you, sir, are most welcome to join us."

Mr Lambert's eyebrows lifted, and he did not speak at first, as if struggling to find the correct response.

"Will you come?" Darcy prompted, and the young curate nodded, once, feebly, then a second time.

"Thank you, Mr Darcy." His smile grew, and Darcy felt his own expression lift. "I will."


	7. Chapter 7

"They're here!"

Lizzy had been perched in the window of her favourite room in the house: the sunny little library that Darcy had presented to her the day they arrived at Pemberley, pronouncing it to be her own domain to do with precisely as she chose.

That afternoon, she had been listlessly reading in the pale winter light while Georgiana sewed: both ladies preferring to be together in the cosy library than in the elegant and airy parlour.

"They are?" Georgiana set down her sewing and flew to join Lizzy at the window, peering out into the drive as the Gardiners' carriage made its final approach to the house.

Lizzy felt a strange flicker of excitement. She was very fond of the Gardiners and would be pleased to see them again. More than that, she missed her family and would be glad to have the care of her aunt and uncle as she navigated this very first Christmas as mistress of Pemberley.

Subconsciously, Lizzy's hands flew to her hair and she tucked in a stray curl or two, the movement catching Georgiana's eye.

"You are not nervous, are you?" she teased, her eyes dancing. "I have met your aunt and uncle before and thought them quite charming."

"Oh, they are!" Lizzy said, dropping her hands to her side and laughing at her preoccupation. "And Aunt Gardiner is far more sensible than Mama. I suppose I am merely eager to appear to my best in their eyes. After all, I know that they will be duty-bound to report all to Longbourn before long and I do not want to draw Mama's wrath even from so many miles away." She winked and returned to her work, before pausing and turning to face Georgiana directly.

"You must tell me the truth, Georgie. Am I presentable?"

"Absolutely!" Georgiana laughed, liking her arm thought Lizzy's and dragging her towards the door. "Now, we must go and wait in the parlour to greet them." She shivered. "They will be cold and tired, so we must ensure the fire is blazing and refreshments are prepared."

The two young ladies hurried to their tasks, Lizzy pausing as they passed Darcy's study to knock on the door and slip inside at the sound of his quiet, "yes?"

"My aunt and uncle are here," she said, pausing in the doorway.

"They are?" Darcy's face broke into a smile and he pushed his chair back, coming around the desk. "Then why on earth are you talking to me? You will wish to greet them, surely?"

Any anxiety Lizzy had felt about her family coming to Pemberley, about their reunion with her now-husband, vanished as she observed the smile of delight that lifted Darcy's dark features. He was fond of the Gardiners, almost as fond of them as Lizzy was, and their coming to Pemberley had been his idea. Lizzy had presumed, when he made the suggestion, that it was the best alternative he could think of to Mr and Mrs Bennet coming all the way from Hertfordshire, and for that, she did not blame him. Yet one look at his merry countenance today suggested that he was in fact pleased to invite the Gardiners for their own selves and that thought made her smile.

"Georgiana is just stoking the fire in the parlour. We have already requested some refreshments. All that remains is for us to be there waiting for their arrival."

"Then we must not delay!" Darcy said, with mock gallantry. He offered Lizzy his arm and the two broke into something close to a run down the short stretch of corridor that led to the parlour, bursting into the room in a gale of laughter that made Georgiana jump.

"What is so funny?" She demanded, with a withering glance at her brother, who immediately straightened and became the regal, dour Mr Darcy once more. "Anyone would think you were not a gentleman at all!"

He held his peace for half a moment before his eyes met Elizabeth's and they both dissolved into laughter again, too enthusiastically to regain their composure as the door opened and Mr and Mrs Gardiner stepped into the room, their children around them.

"Well! This is a happy sight!" Mr Gardiner boomed, setting his young daughter down on her own two feet and turning to shake Darcy's hand.

"Elizabeth! How well you look!" Mrs Gardiner said, leaning in to embrace her niece. When their heads were bent close together she whispered, "I expect to be let in on the joke!"

Releasing Elizabeth, Mrs Gardiner turned to greet Georgiana with the same warm embrace. Lizzy was touched to see the affection on the older woman's face, and the way Georgiana leaned into her arms and held on for just a moment longer than was polite. Lizzy had come to understand how the loss of his parents had shaped Darcy into the aloof figure he could still often be, but she often forgot the toll such a loss had taken on the younger Georgiana. Moments like this, when the motherly Mrs Gardiner offered her the affection she so sorely missed, recalled Lizzy to this truth and she made a mental note to focus still more of her energies in securing Georgiana's happiness, both now and in the future.

"And how are you, Mr George?" Lizzy asked, bending to shake young Master Gardiner's hand. Her cousin had grown a foot since she had seen him last and seemed quite the young man, which made Lizzy's heat ache. How quickly time was passing! Soon these children she romped and played with would be young gentlemen and ladies themselves.

"Oh dear! Has our arrival spoiled all the fun?" Mr Gardiner said, turning from his polite discussion of their travel arrangements with Darcy to Elizabeth and noticing the serious expression on her face.

"Not at all, Uncle!" Lizzy said, beaming at him. She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow and steered him to a chair. "You must be tired after your journey! I have the very best seat picked out for you, here, by the fire."

"Well, I shan't say no to such hospitality!" Mr Gardiner said, allowing his niece to direct him and sinking heavily into the chair she pointed out.

"I hope you shall maintain that perspective this evening!" Darcy remarked, with a wry grin, as he slyly engaged in a game with George and Mary that would be considered quite undignified in many parlours up and down the country, but here merely demonstrated the change that had come over the reticent Fitzwilliam Darcy in the past few months. "We shall be hosting a dinner to welcome you to Derbyshire and have invited a few guests."

"You did not need to go to such trouble!" Mrs Gardiner began, turning to frown at Georgiana as if the idea had been hers.

"It is no trouble, Aunt!" Lizzy put in. Her eyes rested on her husband, as he laughed and romped with the children, before scooping them both up, one under each arm, and carrying them over to a rug by the fire where they might be a little warmer and able to play quietly under the watchful eyes of their parents.

"No trouble at all," Darcy agreed, a little breathless from roughhousing. "In fact, it has afforded me an opportunity to invite the new curate and introduce him to some of the other families in the area." He collapsed into his own chair and glanced over at Georgiana and Mrs Gardiner who came to join the rest of their party. "Poor fellow looked rather overwhelmed to be inheriting his first curacy at such a time as this!"

"Christmas is a busy time for the church," Mr Gardiner agreed.

"And to move to a new place must be daunting," Georgiana observed, perching daintily on a sofa beside Mrs Gardiner. "We must do all we can to make him feel welcome!"


	8. Chapter 8

"…and it is at a time like this, a time like Christmas, when we find our hearts turn naturally towards…towards…"

With an irritable exhalation, Daniel tugged at his cravat until it was untied and stalked over to his desk, angling his sermon notes so that he might see them and scanning his own careful cursive until he could find the place at which his memory had failed him.

"It is at a time like this, a time like Christmas, when we find our hearts turn naturally towards _hospitality_…" he muttered, closing his eyes and allowing the words he had slaved over to sink all the more deeply into his brain. He had never struggled with recitation before, or not to the extent that his one caused him difficult. Distractedly, he fingered the edge of his cravat, his lips forming the words but speaking the rest of his sermon silently to himself, without the need for sound.

"There!" he muttered, the slightest hint of a smile lifting his thin lips as he reached his cheery conclusion. It did not do to deliver a lecture on Christmas day, of all days, to a flock to whom he was, as yet, nought but a name.

_I shall meet some of them this evening_, he reminded himself, returning to his primary task, the one that had brought him into this room to begin with, although the light which had encouraged him to dress here, where he might angle a mirror and better see his reflection, had long since forsaken him. Lifting a solitary candle a little closer, he squinted at his reflection and at last pronounced himself _done_, although he could not help one last, wary tug at the nonsensical cravat which appeared to exist only that it might plague him.

_These things are sent to try us!_ he thought, recalling how sanguine his father would have been when faced with such myriad small trials as Daniel had faced of late. For his own part, he viewed the hurdles as yet more evidence that he was flirting with disaster by undertaking this particular role in this particular place. It was too late to refuse the position, though, and he must proceed, doing the best he could and hoping against hope that he brought no shame to his family's name.

"This is a fine position," he muttered, smoothing his hair down with more force than was necessary and wincing at the tug on his scalp. "I am fortunate to receive it so early on in my career."

He had been encouraged by Mr Darcy's warm welcome the previous day. He had heard a great many conflicting reports of Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy: that he was wealthy was never in doubt, but his manner was a cause of perpetual confusion in the environs of Derbyshire. Many to whom Daniel had spoken had praised him, calling him a fair master and a noble successor to his father, the unequivocally kind and generous elder Mr Darcy, whose loss was still felt throughout the community. Others were reticent, suggesting the young Mr Darcy was not without his faults, of which pride was considered the worst. _Haughty to the point of rudeness, he__'ll not deign to meet with a lowly curate - even one whose parish includes Pemberley…_ Well, Mr Darcy _had _met with him, and more than that had welcomed him quite warmly to Derbyshire. Had Mr Darcy himself not been the one to insist on Daniel's attending the very dinner for which he was now preparing for?

A clock chimed somewhere in the house and Daniel stiffened. The very dinner he would be unpardonably late for if he did not leave right at this very instant!

Bolting for the door, he did not pause to extinguish his candle or to reconcile his papers, trusting that he would be in a perfectly fit state to revisit his sermon for one or two final tweaks that evening. _It must be the very best it can be for Christmas Day, for that is the first time many of my parishioners will meet me and I do not mean to disappoint them!_

He clambered onto his horse, feeling the absence of a carriage, before reminding himself that curates had no need of such extravagance and he certainly had plenty of his family's excess to atone for. He was on his way, the wind whipping past his ears and drowning out any other thoughts until he came within sight of Pemberley. The grand house looked almost foreboding in the dark, a great shadowy fortress looming ahead of him and in a moment of weakness, Daniel debating turning back, sending word that due to his volume of work he would be sadly unable to attend that evening. He was no coward, though, and would not descend to falsehood in order to escape a trial. Mustering some version of the same courage his namesake must have had when entering the lions' den, he ventured on, dismounting and knocking at the grand Pemberley doors.

"Good evening, sir," a motherly housekeeper said, opening the door and ushering him across the threshold. "Won't you please join Mr and Mrs Darcy and their guests in the parlour? Right this way."

Daniel had been here before, and recently enough that he ought not to be surprised by the elegant Christmas decorations, the holly and mistletoe and pine that scented the air whenever he took a breath. This evening, though, lit by flickering candlelight and somehow softened by the low murmur of voices in the distant parlour, the decorations made Pemberley even more beautiful than he had remembered, and he could not help but smile to find himself in such a place as this. His smile faltered as he reached the parlour and was shown into the room, his eyes sweeping its occupants and identifying, amidst a handful of strangers, one or two faces he recognised. Mr Darcy, of course, standing guard by the fire, ready to greet whichever of his guests arrived next. Beside him, a tall, dark-haired figure who must be his wife. This was the figure who caused Daniel's smile to falter, his heart to sink as she turned towards him and the same laughing eyes he had seen once before fixed upon him in recognition.

"Why, it is our tea-drinking friend!" With an elegant hand, she beckoned a shorter, slighter lady to join her - her pretty blonde-haired companion from the morning, a few days ago now, at the tea room. Daniel's smile became more of a grimace but he shook off any reticence and stepped forward, bowing sharply and straightening to meet each lady's eye in turn.

"Good evening."

"Oh, have you met?" Mr Darcy asked, witnessing this little charade with a flicker of amusement in his dark eyes. "I had no notion that you were already acquainted! My wife, Mr Lambert. And this is my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy."

Daniel's smile stretched painfully and he felt, rather than heard Mrs Darcy's musical laugh as she tugged her sister-in-law forward.

"Now, Georgiana, do you think Mr Lambert will mind us laughing and talking loudly in the parlour, or ought we to moderate our excitement here, as well?"


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N - Thank you so much for all the reads and comments so far! I haven't had much time to read them yet as I've been racing to meet deadlines but hoping to catch up sometime today. I hope you are enjoying this sweet little Christmas Story! xx_

* * *

Georgiana might have been a little sympathetic to poor Mr Lambert. The young man looked utterly mortified by Elizabeth's joke, for, not knowing her new sister as well as Georgiana did, he had clearly not realised she was teasing him and mistook her laughter for censure.

"I must apologise," he said quickly, tripping over himself in his eagerness to make right the mistake. "I was rather uncharitable at the tea room. I was very busy and trying to work. I fear I did not manage the distraction of your presence very well." He ducked his head once more. "Forgive me."

"Lizzy," Darcy said, with an exasperated look at his wife. "Please tell me you and Georgiana were not distracting the poor curate from his work."

Georgiana coloured, realising that that must have been precisely what he had been doing. Now that she thought back over their first encounter, she did indeed recall a small, leather-bound book that might have been a bible, amongst the studious young man's belongings. Opening her mouth to apologise, she stopped short when she noticed the pained smile the man was wearing.

"It was no distraction! And I do not suppose it is right of me to expect young ladies to comport themselves with quietness and sobriety when they are together."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Elizabeth and Georgiana glanced up, seeing her own outrage reflected in the features of her sister-in-law. Darcy noticed just as quickly, interceding and turning with his new wife towards another guest and hurriedly engaging them in conversation before Lizzy shared her thoughts with the curate.

Mr Lambert frowned, as if reading the situation correctly for what it was, yet remaining confused as to _why_ his words ought to have caused such offence. Georgiana smiled, haughtily.

"I suppose you would prefer that young ladies are perpetually seen and not heard, Mr Lambert? Or better yet, not seen at all?"

She turned away before he could concoct a reply, and addressed herself to Mrs Gardiner, who was only too happy to discuss music, of which she was a fond devotee, although rather lacking in the talent to play herself.

"You will play for us this evening, won't you, Georgiana?" she pleaded, as Georgiana's eyes strayed over her shoulder back to Mr Lambert, who stood aloof and alone, observing the milling crowd with an unreadable expression on his features.

"I had planned to," she confessed. "But now I wonder if it would be wise not to, as it seems that Mr Lambert is not fond of such performance."

Mrs Gardiner exchanged a glance with her husband, and Georgiana, misreading their concern for criticism smiled at them.

"But if you would like me to, then, of course I will play!"

Mrs Gardiner squeezed her arm warmly, a silent affirmation that yes, indeed, she must play for them and Georgiana made a silent promise to choose something especially light and jolly which would provide the dual win of pleasing Lizzy's aunt and uncle and putting Mr Lambert's nose still further out of joint.

She glanced over at him again, feeling a stab of guilt as she saw him trapped between two couples, both of whom were turned away from him and chattering quite contentedly together, leaving the curate alone and friendless in a room full of people. She knew that feeling all too well and had rescued her own brother from a similar fate often enough. _Perhaps I ought to go over__…_

Darcy must have seen and made the same decision, for his move was swift and decisive, and he summoned all of his guests to join him at the dining table. In the shuffle, Georgiana realised too late that she was without a partner at about the same moment that Mr Lambert took a step forward, bowing and offering her his own arm. She looked around desperately for somebody, anybody, else but seeing no alternative, smiled stiffly and accepted his offer, following her brother and sister-in-law into dinner.

"Did I hear that you are a musician, Miss Darcy?"

Mr Lambert's question came so suddenly and in a tone of voice so different to the one he had used earlier that Georgiana almost missed it, glancing up at him quickly to ensure he had, indeed, spoken and she was not hearing some other conversation and misreading its audience.

"I am fond of music," she said, surprised by the light that danced in his blue eyes. She had not noticed the deep colour of them before, nor how they seemed to change with the light. She blinked, breaking the spell and forcing herself to recall the anger that had burned in those same eyes as he had stalked away on their first meeting. "I imagine you find it a mere distraction from more worthy pursuits, Mr Lambert? Tell me, do you even allow for singing in the churches you pastor, or must all hold fast for the great, life-altering sermons you deliver?"

He frowned, reading the censure in her voice and evidently wondering what in his question had provoked it. She could almost see him replaying his words to himself in an effort to understand his unintentional insult and she, too, wondered if she had been too reactive in her comment.

"I think -" she began, seeking to roll back her words and be polite, as no doubt her brother would caution her to do. _Recall, Mr Lambert is a guest in _his_ house, and I might manage to treat him with civility, even if I think his opinions are utterly objectionable!_

"I dare say you are right, Miss Darcy," Mr Lambert said coolly, as they reached the dining room. His features were pinched and when he smiled it barely reached his eyes which seemed to have shifted again, no longer bright, dazzling blue, but icy grey, pale and indifferent. "It is through sermons that men's hearts are changed, after all. It is a great responsibility to bear and ought not to be treated lightly."

Georgiana opened her mouth to challenge him, but after taking his seat he turned abruptly to speak to the neighbour on his other side, and Georgiana was only too pleased to let the matter drop.


	10. Chapter 10

Not for the first time, Darcy was pleased he had married someone far more gregarious than he. Lizzy expertly navigated no fewer than three conversations at once, amusing and delighting her guests with her quick wit and gentle humour, the very things that Darcy had grown to love most of all about his pretty, clever wife.

He did not glean more than a passing sense of her conversation, though, because his mind was entirely taken up in observing the behaviour of another of his guests.

Daniel Lambert was turned in his seat almost entirely to put Georgiana at his back, which behaviour would ordinarily have struck Darcy as entirely ill-mannered, had Georgie not turned equally against him. Indeed, his sister had never been entirely adept at keeping her true feelings from showing on her delicate features. Whilst she smiled and laughed along with the exaggerated story Mr Gardiner was telling, Darcy was astute enough to notice the sharp crease in her forehead that never completely lifted and the way her eyes kept lifting over her shoulder, to the back of Mr Lambert's head.

Lambert himself was almost unrecognisable from the young man who had first made Darcy's acquaintance a day or two prior. He was sensible and sober, still, but his head seemed too heavy for his shoulders, as if it cost him a great deal of energy to sit upright and keep from slumping forward into his soup. Darcy recognised that level of exhaustion. He had felt it himself on only a few distinct occasions: twice at the hand of George Wickham, when he sought to separate first his own sister and then Elizabeth's from that man's clutches and a third time, during his convoluted courtship with the lady who was now his wife. What, then, caused Daniel Lambert to feel such agonising weariness?

Darcy interlaced his fingers, leaning his chin on his knuckles and regarding the man carefully across the table. Carefully, but not subtly.

"Don't you agree, dear?" Lizzy said, turning adroitly towards him.

When he did not reply immediately, she nudged him with her elbow, forcing him to straighten and look at her in surprise.

"What? Oh, yes. Quite so. Indeed."

He smiled, fleetingly, and feigned an interest in his own soup-dish which had been sorely neglected during his observations.

Lizzy made a joke, laughing and urging her neighbours to converse between themselves, before turning back to her husband with concern.

"Are you quite well?" she straightened her cutlery. "I know that a dining room full of friends and relatives is perhaps not high on your list of favourite things, but you did encourage me to arrange this evening."

"_Encourage_ is rather a strong word," Darcy replied, arching an eyebrow at his wife. "I believe _acquiesced to your suggestion_ is a more accurate reading of what happened with regards to this evening."

"Very well," Lizzy grinned. "But I at least gave you some say in the guest list. Mr Lambert, for instance, was all your choice. I had no say in the matter of his invitation."

This made Darcy's frown deepen.

"And would you have said anything to counter it? I sensed some animosity between you and him, and now Georgiana is doing a poor job of ignoring him. I thought him quite amiable on our meeting, albeit a little quiet." He smiled. "Please do not tell me you bear a grudge only against men who prefer to keep their thoughts to themselves than to speak them aloud at any and every opportunity."

Lizzy pulled a face at him.

"It would be foolish for me to adopt that position," she said, lifting a glass to her lips and taking a sip of her drink. "He was so rude to us when all poor Georgiana and I did was laugh!"

"The audacity!" Darcy said, allowing his voice to grow warm with gentle teasing. "I trust you were not laughing _at him_, and thus justifying his outburst?"

"No, indeed!" Lizzy bristled, although two spots of colour in her cheeks suggested his assertion was not entirely wide of the mark. "Well, anyway, we did not say anything bad about him whilst he was there to hear it." She ducked her head, having the grace to look a little embarrassed by this behaviour. "It was perhaps wrong to speak unkindly of him, but this was in retaliation for the way he acted. You ought to have seen him. He huffed and puffed in our general direction until apparently he could bear it no more and left, gathering his belongings and storming out of the tea room as if he could not believe we had the nerve not to sit in abject silence and allow him to work." She shook her head. "It was not as if we were in a church! He might work just as easily in his study as in our tea room."

"Your tea room?" Darcy deployed his eyebrow once more.

"_The _tea room," Lizzy clarified. "The public tea room. The one that is open to the public and anyone who might care to _converse_ over their refreshments and not merely peg away at studies." She bit her lip. "I ought to apologise, I suppose."

"It would be charitable," Darcy remarked. He patted his wife warmly on the hand. "Recall, not all gentlemen handle crowds and introductions as well as you do."

Their eyes met and they smiled, both recalling their fractured first meeting and the misunderstanding that had undermined their first year of acquaintance.

"You have already demonstrated your ability to forgive a poor first impression. Take another look at our curate. Perhaps he is hiding his light under a bushel."

Lizzy frowned.

"Perhaps. On the other hand, he does not seem to have endeared himself greatly to Georgiana, and I think we can both agree she is far more easily pleased than I am. Oh dear!" She sighed. "I had high hopes for matching the pair when you mentioned inviting a newly-arrived curate to dine with us. I could not have imagined that he and our grumpy companion were one and the same, and had constructed a pretty little romance for the pair."

"Romance?" Darcy's expression darkened. "Between Georgiana and a curate?"

"Do not say _c__urate_ like that as if I suggested matching her with a street-urchin. I wager you would not even consider the Prince Regent himself a suitable match for your sister, but I thought you had learned not to judge quite so harshly according to one's status and position. Or have you forgotten your aunt?"

Darcy groaned. He rarely had cause to think of his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but that did not mean she was often very far from his thoughts. She was only too fond of remarking on people's pedigree and had used social status as the very cornerstone of her objection to Darcy and Elizabeth marrying. He shuddered. He did not care to be like his aunt, and if Lizzy was already drawing parallels between Lady Catherine's fierce guarding of his affections and his own protection of Georgiana, perhaps he ought to take care.

"That is entirely different," he whispered, although he could not quite believe it. "I am concerned about Georgiana's wellbeing."

"As am I, and you needn't fret. Now that I have met the bad-tempered Mr Lambert, I have no more plans of matching the pair than I have of taking a vow of silence. Now do, please, finish your soup. Everyone is eager for our next course and we delay only for you!"


	11. Chapter 11

"What were you and Mr Darcy whispering about just now?" Mrs Gardiner asked, as the party embarked on their next course and Lizzy turned to speak to her aunt.

"Nothing very important!" Lizzy said, with a merry smile.

Her aunt smiled back, smiling knowingly, as if she would allow husband and wife to keep their secrets and enquire no more.

"Is Georgiana quite well, do you think?" Lizzy asked, desperately looking for some topic of conversation that might distract her aunt and also move forward from her talk with her husband. She had not meant to confess to him her plans to match-make Georgiana with the erstwhile Mr Lambert, or with anybody at all, for she knew it was unlikely that Darcy would approve. He still thought of his sister as too young to be in need of a suitor. Lizzy's smile faltered. She knew he still blamed himself for how George Wickham had managed to worm his way into Georgiana's affections and comes so close to ruining her. Wickham was a nameless figure in life at Pemberley. Lizzy knew that Darcy would not choose to mention him again, not after what had happened between Wickham and Lydia, or his own noble attempt to rectify that situation. Neither one of them rejoiced in the marriage, but it was what it was and Lizzy had to hope that Lydia was happy, or at least satisfied with her lot. The topic of marriage, then, was scarcely ever mentioned since their own wedding was still so fresh in everybody's minds. And Darcy was fond of solitude, rather more than any young man had a right to be. Lizzy knew it would not often occur to him that others might not share his preferences, might seek companionship where he would flourish without it.

As if aware she was being discussed, Georgiana let out a merry laugh, leaning forward to involve herself still more in her conversation with the friend next to her. She even more pointedly turned her back on Mr Lambert who, to Lizzy's surprise, seemed to flinch as if he felt the slight as a physical blow. She frowned, wondering if this was a glimpse of the man Darcy had meant when he mentioned meeting the new curate.

"She seems quite content," Mrs Gardiner said, turning back to Lizzy with a questioning smile. "Although I am not sure the same could be said for poor Mr Lambert! I wonder if she is aware of how completely she is ignoring him."

"I dare say it is intentional," Lizzy murmured, her voice low enough that she did not expect her aunt to hear. Mrs Gardiner, mother of myriad children, however, had very sharp ears and her eyebrows lifted.

"I did not think Georgiana so callous as all that! The curate is a newcomer here and knows no-one. What can he have done to cause her such offence in the course of this evening?"

Lizzy briefly outlined their first meeting of the curate in town, and although Mrs Gardiner's lips pursed, her eyes remained impassive.

"You think I was too quick to take offence," Lizzy said, accusingly. She smiled, but there was more self-deprecation than amusement in the expression. "And I dare say you are right. My husband has already made a similar suggestion." She sighed, moving her meat around her plate before taking a dainty, delicate bite. It was delicious, as was all the food at Pemberley. "He was unreasonable, but perhaps I might have been a little more considerate. Or, I might learn to be more considerate now. I need not hold one interaction against him forever."

Mrs Gardiner's eyes danced merrily, as if she, too, was recalling the tirade Lizzy had given against Mr Darcy on a Christmas not a very long time previously, at Longbourn.

"I do not think I shall speak to anybody who professes to know me," Lizzy grumbled. "I am not sure I like being so well-understood!"

Mrs Gardiner swallowed her laughter and Lizzy turned towards the silent Mr Lambert, who, having nobody to talk to and no other occupation open to him, had quickly finished the contents of his plate and was now examining his cuff with care. Lizzy cleared her throat.

"Mr Lambert, I imagine you are very busy with your preparations for Christmas at the church," she said, her voice clear and carrying across the bustling dining table.

The young man jumped as if surprised to hear his name on the lips of a young lady, and those belonging to his hostess. He blinked rapidly as if struggling to construct a satisfactory answer. _It is not a difficult question, _Lizzy thought, wondering why it required such deep thought.

"I have been quite busy, Mrs Darcy, yes," Mr Lambert said, the ghost of a smile flickering across his face repeatedly but never quite landing. _He would be quite handsome if he smiled more, and more genuinely. If he did not have such a propensity for frowning_…

"It is a wonderful time of the year, though, do you not think?" She smiled. "I dare say you would be in the wrong profession if you did _not_ think so!"

Mr Lambert smiled, but the expression was a little pained. Still, Lizzy would not be so easily deterred from her task, now that she had risen to it.

"Georgiana and I were discussing the possibility of putting together a concert for some of the children of the estate. I imagine you would be only too pleased to be involved, for it will be a wonderful way for you to know the families that make up your parish." She turned to Mrs Gardiner. "Your children will take part as well, I hope? I thought I might be a good way to occupy them while they are here and also enable them to make friends with some of the local children."

"A fine idea!" Mr Gardiner declared, toasting it enthusiastically before lifting his glass to be refilled.

"A…concert?" Mr Lambert frowned as if he had never heard the word before.

"A concert." Lizzy beamed. "It was Georgiana's idea, and a very good one I think!"

He turned to look at Georgiana, who had at last deigned to look at him, an almost combative smile on her usually sanguine face.

"It is a charming idea," he said, in a bitter monotone that suggested he felt nothing of the sort.


	12. Chapter 12

_A carol concert._

Daniel was smiling so broadly that his cheeks hurt with the effort. Even despite all that he could not help but think he was not entirely convincing.

"You would not need to do anything," Georgiana said, haughtily, when it was apparent he ought to have said a little more to persuade her, and the rest of the dinner guests, of his enthusiasm about the plan. "Although it would be an advantage if we might be permitted to use the church."

"The church." Daniel could hear himself parroting her words back to her like some sort of automaton and cleared his throat, swapping his smile for a nod. "Well, Miss Darcy, whatever you require. I am sure it will be a wonderful way to mark the season."

"Perhaps Georgiana and I might call there tomorrow to begin rehearsals," Mrs Darcy put in when nobody else had spoken for an endlessly long moment. "We shall do our utmost to find some eager and willing recruits in the morning and call at the church in the afternoon."

"Very good. Yes." Daniel nodded. He was relieved when his neighbours gradually began to pick up their conversations again, all eagerly commenting on the children in their families who would want to take part in such an extravaganza.

"You will be able to witness Miss Darcy's musical prowess yourself after dinner," Mrs Gardiner remarked, with a benevolent smile at the young lady sitting next to Daniel. "She is an extraordinary musical talent."

He turned to smile at Georgiana, surprised when her expression turned from vague dislike to a syrupy smile.

"Fear not, Mr Lambert, I shall not insist on playing at the Christmas concert. That shall only be singing. A choir. Perhaps you might care to weigh in with your opinion on the type of music you would prefer…?"

"I defer to your skills, Miss Darcy. You, it seems, are the musician."

There was a strange light in Miss Darcy's eyes as if she was not quite sure what to make of his comment and he smiled again, unsurprised when it did not have the desired effect of making her smile too, but instead provoked a frown. He seemed incapable of impressing Miss Georgiana Darcy. Whatever he did seemed only to turn her even more sternly against him.

"Do you dance, Mr Lambert?" she asked, abruptly, as their next course arrived, and the cheerful rumble of conversation began around them.

"I do, Miss Darcy." This was evidently a surprise to her, for her eyebrows lifted quite uncharacteristically, and he felt a strange flicker of pride at offering her an answer she did not expect. He was no _dancer_ but it was certainly no lie to say that he did, on occasion, dance.

"It is not too frivolous an occupation for you?"

There was some strange emphasis on the word _frivolous_ as if it contained a key to unlock her entire antipathy and Daniel recalled, too late, when he had applied the word to the very young lady in front of him. He felt heat flood his face and bent over his plate, feigning an interest in his meal when he was, in fact, hurriedly piecing together an apology, an explanation, something to put that unfortunate first meeting far behind him.

"There is a place for frivolity," he began, but he had evidently hesitated too long, for Georgiana had turned abruptly away from him once more, leaving him speaking to nothing but air. He swallowed the rest of his explanation, and coughed, looking down at the table and feeling, again, a wave of loneliness. Here he was dining at one of the finest tables in England, yet he had single-handedly succeeded in alienating his host and making a less than fair impression on those who would make up a large portion of his parish. _Very well done, Daniel,_ he thought, sourly, recalling how his brother would once have mocked him for such a feeble show of success. Robert had only to walk into a room to win an army of devotees, and he spoke twelve words for every one of Daniel's, each finding their mark with elegance and grace. He had a merry temperament for a curate, to be sure, but he was certainly much better skilled at getting people to like him. _And once people like you, Dan, they listen to what you have to say. __'Tis all a game of persuasion…_

Daniel's throat constricted, as it always did when he thought of his brother. He could not remember Robert in his healthy, hearty prime without soon slipping into how he had looked upon their last meeting, propped up on pillows whose whiteness merely accentuated the pallor of Robert's skin. He might have been any number of things, had he not succumbed to his illness. And if he had never fallen ill, to begin with…well, then everything would not rest quite so heavily on Daniel's own shoulders.

_If only I had you with me now, Robert_, he thought, his eyes scanning the animated faces of his neighbours and seeing not a single friend among them. _Then Christmas, even Christmas in a new parish, might be a joy and not a chore._

And now he had somehow agreed to orchestrate a carol concert with the one young lady who seemed to dislike him most of all. His lips tugged up in a wry smile at that turn of events. Robert would have laughed and set into motion some scheme to succeed not only at the concert but at winning the pretty Miss Darcy's affections. He would succeed at both, of course, being Robert, and turn the whole into a merry, amusing tale to be trotted out on just such occasions as this evening. Daniel's smile faded. _But I am not my brother, and I have yet to succeed at anything I try my hand at__…_


	13. Chapter 13

Georgiana was never happier than when she found herself seated at her elegant piano and even more so when she was able to play the music she knew her family and friends loved to dance to. She was fond of dancing, herself, and forced to choose between the playing of music and enjoyment of dancing to it she was often at a loss as to what would be her preference. That evening, though, she played with merry abandon, her enjoyment lifting when she witnessed the look that passed between her brother and Elizabeth as he and his wife led the party in the first dance of the evening. Darcy was a skilled dancer, although he did not enjoy it, largely because it most often facilitated seeing and speaking to crowds of strangers, which pastime he abhorred more than almost any other thing. This evening, though, surrounded by friends and with his bride on his arm, his mood magically lifted. He smiled and even - Georgiana smiled to hear it - laughed at the running commentary Elizabeth provided. Georgiana knew her sister-in-law well enough to know that she would be at pains to amuse her husband, and so to distract him from the trials of leading the dancing. It still surprised Georgiana to see her brother so well understood by his new bride, although to hear Lizzy tell it this understanding was not easily won and was instead the product of a great many months of _mis_-understanding.

_I shall never have a love like that._ The thought struck her suddenly and seemingly from nowhere, so that she faltered her playing, her fingers crashing into a false chord. Taking a breath, she shook off the thought and feelings it brought, focusing her attention on playing carefully and well. She knew this piece and had mastered it many days ago, saving it for just such an occasion as this where it might be properly appreciated.

"Would you like someone to turn your pages for you?"

Miss Evelina Finch had come up on Georgiana's right side, startling her by her sudden appearance such that there was almost another musical catastrophe. Georgiana rescued the piece at the last moment and nodded, shuffling down the piano stool sufficient to allow Miss Finch to perch beside her.

"Are you not dancing?" she asked, in a whisper. Evelina and she were friends by virtue of age and proximity and very little else in the way of shared feeling. She knew her neighbour to be fond of dancing and rarely, if ever, to pass up the opportunity, especially for so thankless a task as turning the pages of music she did not play.

"No!" Evelina sighed "The partner I most wished to dance with has been ensnared by someone else. I thought a show of generosity might win him for my next dance." She winked with such ferocity that Georgiana could see it even without looking at her. She bit her lip.

"Oh? And who is your preferred partner? I did not realise you had any interest in any of the young gentlemen local to us?"

"Oh, no!" Evelina giggled, which made Georgiana flinch. She had never been fond of _giggling, _especially when deployed as loudly and often as it was done by this particular young lady. "No, I have no interest in the gentlemen we grew up with. Such fools!" She sniffed, haughtily, glancing behind her to observe the dancers before sharing what was on her heat, and leaning close enough to Georgiana that she might whisper and not fear being overheard by any other ears but those belonging to her friend. "I wish to dance with the curate. Mr Lambert. Do not you think he is handsome?"

"Mr Lambert?" Georgiana had spoken his name far louder than she intended, and turned back to her sheet music, bending over the piano to hide her flushed cheeks and praying none of her guests had either heard her exclamation nor noticed her discomposure.

"Do not tell me you have not noticed him!" Evelina chided. "Why, you were sitting beside him all through the dinner! Could you not feel the daggers I was shooting your way with every look?" Evelina giggled again before sighing. "He is ever so handsome, and even though he is only a curate I think it quite possible he is from an old family. He came to call on us, you know, and Papa said it was a shame he was pressed into curacy when he might just as easily have had a military career." She frowned. "There was some tragedy or some mismanagement, I do not fully understand it. But it is not so very terrible a profession, to be a curate, particularly for a parish as wealthy as ours. I think it quite likely, too, that he will be recruited from here to a higher position within the church, you know."

Georgiana's smile remained fixed as she processed this piece of intelligence. Although Evelina parroted it as if she herself had been clever enough to come up with the whole entirely unaided, Georgiana knew her friend well enough to think it likely that this information was, instead, repurposed from the opinions of another. Her father, perhaps, for Mr Edward Finch was not short on opinions, nor cautious of sharing them in the hearing of his daughters.

"And now you shall be working with him on your concert!" Evelina sighed. "It is a cunning ploy, I must say. I wondered how it was your sister-in-law managed to secure your brother but now I see she is teaching you her ways. No doubt she saw an opportunity to pair you with Mr Lambert for some project in the hopes you will win his heart and his hand, you cruel thing, depriving us of him before anyone else even has a chance."

Georgiana was so stunned by this assessment of the situation and so horrified at the callous and conniving way Evelina spoke of Elizabeth that she had to bite down very hard on her lower lip to keep from putting her friend right. Instead, she played the last few bars of her piece with the utmost care, and as soon as she hit the final chord she stood.

"You have been a fine assistant, Evelina. I do not doubt you are eager to display your own talents next, so I will not keep you from doing so."

And, leaving Evelina open-mouthed but unable to argue, she walked off, feigning a sudden eagerness to join the dancing and putting as much space between herself and her friend as was humanly possible.


	14. Chapter 14

"Oughtn't you to dance with someone else?"

As soon as Georgiana finished playing - rather abruptly, Darcy thought, but having enjoyed dancing with his wife so much he did not suppose he could blame his sister for wanting to join the merriment rather than merely play for other people to enjoy - the small crowd of dancers took their places for a second dance.

"Someone else?" Darcy slipped into position beside his wife and regarded the rest of his guests. "I cannot think of a single person I should care to dance with more than my own wife!"

"Very kind." Lizzy pulled a face at him that might have been a smile, had it not been accompanied by a teasing light in those dark eyes he loved so well. "But you are the host. Oughtn't you at least pretend to be happy to dance with your guests?"

Darcy's features fell into a grimace, but he did relinquish his hold on his wife. Elizabeth was right. There was an expectation that he, as host of this small dinner and impromptu dance, would dance with more than one young lady that evening. Surveying the small crowd, he passed over several of his guests immediately, by virtue that they would wish to talk him to death, and at last, his gaze rested on his sister, who had practically run from the piano to join the crowd. An amused smile already stretching onto his face, he took a step towards his sister, eager to both obey and subvert his wife's suggestion in one easy move. He was not fast enough, however, for another figure appeared at Georgiana's side, dropping in a bow and offering her his arm. Darcy recognised Mr Lambert and he held his breath, wondering what Georgiana's response would be. He did not think her antipathy towards the new curate had been widely noticed or remarked upon that evening, but he, being well acquainted with his sister's moods and familiar with her expressions, had seen only too clearly the thinly veiled dislike she seemed to bear towards the gentleman who had, until that evening, been a stranger to her. Darcy felt a strange flash of recognition, recalling the very evening he first met Elizabeth, and how he had been pressed to dance with those he did not like, or thought he did not like.

"I suppose you must dance another turn with me!" Elizabeth sighed at his shoulder. He turned. She had stepped lightly across the floor to join him and was regarding, as he was, the interaction between Georgiana and Mr Lambert. Where Darcy's forehead was wrinkled with concern, however, Lizzy's lips twitched with amusement and he discerned she was but a moment from intervening herself and matching the pair together.

"Come, wife, let us take our place," Darcy said, steering her reluctantly towards the head of the group before she could do something either he or Georgiana might regret. With a reluctant sigh, Lizzy allowed him to move her, and the first faltering notes of the piece began. Georgiana's friend was not as skilled at the piano as she was, so the piece was a little simpler, but still popular and familiar to everyone, so they fell to dancing without much further discussion. Darcy could not help but smile wryly at the way Lizzy's head perpetually turned towards Georgiana, her entire body rigid as she strained to hear the slightest word or two of their conversation, from which, Darcy supposed, she hoped to glean the whole.

"You are scarcely keeping time," he remarked, as they passed one another close enough that they might share a word or two, even if the conversations of their friends remained out of reach.

"I am not able to!" Lizzy retorted. "I wish to know that Georgiana is content in dancing with Mr Lambert. I was not the only one to notice her disinclination to talk to him at dinner!"

"Is that why you insisted on forcing them together to prepare this concert?" Darcy asked, his words, at last, forcing Lizzy's attention back to himself and away from the stilted pair she strove to observe. She smiled wickedly, amusement dancing in her dark eyes.

"Was it that obvious?"

"It was not subtle, dearest." Darcy shot her a pained look. "Neither is your angling your head in order to keep Georgiana in view. I assure you no harm will come to her in the parlour, surrounded by friends."

"Harm!" Lizzy laughed. "I have no fear of harm coming to her." She leant closer to her husband, dropping her voice to a whisper that only he should hear. "I am eager to see at what point she and Mr Lambert realise that they are perfect for one another and fall in love!"

This was so surprising to Darcy that he froze in place, missing his next step and almost causing a collision with his fellow dancers which he rectified only at the very last minute, stepping hurriedly out of time to catch up with where he ought to have naturally found himself.

"In love?" he asked Lizzy at last, angling his own head to try and catch a glimpse of Georgiana with even less subtlety than his wife had managed. He could not see anything approaching affection between the pair, although he fancied that they were actually speaking to one another and not pointedly ignoring each other now. There was even the ghost of a smile playing about Georgiana's lips, although Darcy could not be sure that this was not amusement at the poor curate rather than affection or interest in him as a person. He frowned.

"Do not look so concerned!" Elizabeth whispered, drawing his attention back to herself. "Surely you recall one or two dances we undertook when we were rather less than fond of one another and look how well that turned out!"

"Eventually," Darcy grumbled. He had not quite forgiven either Elizabeth or himself for how much time they had wasted in opposition to one another. He sighed. He could not wish the same for Georgiana. She had already suffered at the hands of what she had thought was love.

"You do not like Mr Lambert?" Lizzy asked, watching his reaction.

"I do not know him!" Darcy paused, considering the idea. He had hoped for rather better than a country curate for Georgiana. He smiled, grimly. Particularly a country curate she, herself, did not like. He glanced back at them, surprised to see a smile on Georgiana's face, her eyes fixed on Lambert's features which danced with animation as he spoke.

Lizzy followed his gaze and smiled, laying one hand gently on his arm and squeezing in encouragement.

"I dare say that Christmas is a perfectly acceptable time to get to know him."


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Georgiana woke early. Pemberley was silent and still shrouded in darkness and she could not even hear the excitable sounds of the Gardiner children as she dressed and went downstairs.

She had been enjoying her solitary breakfast, grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the previous evening in silence until the door flew open and a weary-looking Mrs Gardiner escorted her children into the room.

"You do not mind us taking breakfast with you I hope, Georgiana? I could not persuade my little hellions to remain in their room a moment longer!"

"Not at all!" Georgiana laughed, helping Mary Gardiner to clamber onto the chair nearest to her and smiling across the table at the little girl's older brother who, at the rather advanced age of six, was quite capable of seating himself without any assistance. "I hope you are all hungry!"

"George is always hungry!" Mary announced, as she reached for a piece of bread and shoved it into her mouth without buttering it.

"Well, you shall need a good breakfast this morning, all of you." Georgiana poured a cup of tea and passed it to Mrs Gardiner who sagged, exhausted, into her own chair and gratefully took the cup and saucer from Georgiana's outstretched hand. "I have a project I am hopeful that you will be able to help me with." Her voice was laden with mystery and true to her hopes, succeeded in capturing the attention of the young Gardiners, who all leaned forward to listen. "I want to put on a little concert for Christmas for the people who live in town and I am hoping that you will sing for us."

"In a choir?" George asked, doubtfully.

"Yes, in a choir," his mother answered. "I think it is a very good idea and will certainly keep you from getting in too much trouble while you are here."

"Will there be other children as well?" Mary asked, chewing and swallowing before reaching for another slice of bread. "I don't think it will be a very good choir if there are only us three in it."

The baby, who was being bounced agreeably on her Mama's lap, giggled with delight and Georgiana tried not to laugh at the notion of a choir consisting of a bickering brother and sister and a baby.

"I hope so!" she confided to Mary. "I'm hoping that all of the children in the village will want to join, once they see how much fun we shall have. But I might need you to help me persuade them. I thought after breakfast we could take a walk and call on some of the parents and see who feels like singing some Christmas carols."

"At the church?" George piped up. "I think concerts ought to take place in elegant buildings and there are no elegant buildings around here that aren't houses." He sighed, looking for a moment like a miniature version of his Papa, upon whom he clearly modelled his sense of world-weariness and from whom he had learnt such aphorisms as _concerts ought to take place in elegant buildings_. Georgiana swallowed a laugh, but it was Mrs Gardiner who answered her son first.

"Mr Lambert has already agreed to let us use the church, hasn't he Georgiana? In fact, he was very eager to help with the concert preparation. I am sure you will see him today and inveigle him into joining you."

Georgiana looked at her friend, certain she would see amusement in the older lady's features, but Mrs Gardiner kept her face studiously blank, whilst she juggled her youngest child and her breakfast.

"Oh." George looked a little disheartened at this news and turned beseechingly to Georgiana. "Is he old? Our minister at home is old. He doesn't much like children, in concerts, at Christmas, or any other time." He harrumphed, again looking like a miniature Mr Gardiner, and sank his weary head into his pudgy little hands.

"Mr Lambert is not like Reverend Baker," Mrs Gardiner reassured her son. "I met him myself last evening and he was far more cheerful and friendly than that. You needn't worry George. Here, Georgiana spent a great deal of time with him last night. I am sure she will be only too happy to reassure you of the curate's good character."

Now Georgiana was certain her friend was teasing her, for it was just the type of sentence that would ordinarily spring form Elizabeth's lips, accompanied by dancing eyes and a merry laugh. Mrs Gardiner merely examined her plate with care and Georgiana was left to frown and wonder if, perhaps, her friend meant nothing at all by her words and it was Georgiana who read more into them than was there.

Nothing Mrs Gardiner had said was untrue, after all. Mr Lambert was young, younger than Georgiana's own brother, she wagered, and he was certainly cheerful in his way. She bit her lip, recalling he vivid description he had offered to Georgiana of his life at school training for the curacy and how he had confided, during their dance, that he was still quite unsure of what he was doing and whether he should succeed or fail would doubtless be decided by his performance in the Christmas services. Such openness and honesty, accompanied with the self-deprecating smile she had never quite noticed on Mr Lambert's face before that moment, nor how handsome it rendered him, had gone a long way to raising him in Georgiana's estimations and she was forced to acknowledge, at least in the privacy of her own mind, that she had been mistaken in her first assessment of the new curate. He was not always bad-tempered, nor did he judge her quite as harshly as she had believed him to. A strange excitement took hold of her, then, as she reflected on the fact that she would see Mr Lambert in just a short while. How peculiar, that the man she once vowed never to see again had become the high point of her day!


	16. Chapter 16

Daniel still hadn't quite adjusted to eating breakfast alone. Even at home, their meals were rarely conducted in anything other than stilted silence, but it was still slightly preferable to sitting alone at an otherwise-empty dining table.

His recollection brought to mind the previous evening, and he smiled a little as he lifted his fork to his mouth. He had enjoyed the evening far more than he had expected to. Far more than he had begun to, in fact. The meal itself had been somewhat less than enjoyable, but that was more than made up for by the privilege of dancing with Miss Georgiana Darcy.

Even the thought of her name made his heart lift. How could he have ever thought of her as frivolous? In the course of one evening - less, truly, for they had spent the first half of the night alternately ignoring and being ignored by one another - she had completely turned his opinion of her on its head, and left him marvelling at his own stupidity.

_And we will be afforded the chance to work together again soon_, he thought, returning to her idea of putting together a short Christmas concert with the children of the village. When the idea was first put to him his abject lack of enthusiasm had certainly done little to win her over. He groaned, now, recalling the scathing glance she had sent his way. It had taken a certain amount of grovelling and explanation to justify what had been fairly unjustifiable. Fortunately, Georgiana Darcy seemed more understanding than he had ever dared to credit her, for she accepted his faltering invitation to dance and then permitted him an opportunity to apologise. He had asked her a question or two of his own about her plans for the concert and that had been all it took to coax her into speaking. He had fallen silent, allowing her to talk freely and was delighted by the way her features lifted and fell as she spoke. Her words had encouraged his own and too soon the dance drew to its conclusion, but they continued speaking as if scarcely aware of the opportunity to part.

…_I assure you, Mr Lambert, you cannot imagine the trials one bears living alongside one's elder brother!" Georgiana had remarked, fanning her flushed cheeks with one hand and darting a mischievous glance over one shoulder to reassure herself she had not been overheard by the brother in question._

"_I assure you, Miss Darcy," Daniel had replied, reflecting her own words back to her. "I remember it all too well."_

_He had stopped speaking, then, surprised at his own candour. He had not intended to mention his brother, nor had Robert even been in the periphery of his mind. What was it about speaking to Georgiana Darcy that made him so utterly prone to forget himself and lose all sense?_

_Georgiana had turned to him, then, her eyes widening in surprise and curiosity._

"_Oh, do you have a brother?"_

"_I do." He had paused, taken a breath, told the truth. "I do, indeed. The truth is…"_

But he had never been permitted to say any more, for Georgiana's own brother had swept over to them, demanding a dance with his sister if she had decided she did not care to play for them any longer. Daniel was only too pleased to stand aside, although he was disappointed to lose her companionship, and he faded from the group of dancers to the edge of the room, averting his gaze from the interests of more than one young lady silently pleading with him to invite her. He was not a greatly skilled dancer, although he had made the effort in order to set things right with Georgiana. She was gracious not to tease him for the numerous missteps he made, and he was in no hurry to exhibit his poor skill a second time.

He turned his attention back to his breakfast, humming a bar or two of the same piece of music that would persist in echoing through his mind, affording him another reminder of the happy note the evening had ended on, so different to how it began.

"Your post, Mr Lambert."

He was not well-staffed with servants, but his housekeeper comported herself admirably and always seemed to spare a cheery word or a smile for him. She was a broad, motherly figure and he made a special effort to thank her for her attention to his needs, taking the small clutch of letters she held out and sifting through them with an expert eye.

_If I had been told that life in the clergy would consist of writing quite so many letters I am not convinced I would have believed them!_

It was no great tragedy to him that it did, although he rarely found ample time to reply to his numerous correspondents in the manner he would wish to. That morning, however, he slipped an envelope from in between its neighbours and examined the familiar hand. It was softer than his father's, but the feeling was the same. This was his Mama, surely, writing to him in honour of the season. He pocketed the note, promising himself he would read it later, when he was of a mind to concentrate more fully. Whilst he and his father communicated through silences, Mama still endeavoured to stay in touch with her son, even if that meant contact must be upheld via letter rather than in person.

A fleeting thought assailed him: ought he to invite his parents here? It was late to change their plans, now, and undoubtedly his father would be reluctant to miss the social whirl of Christmas in town, particularly if it meant sacrificing London for sleepy Derbyshire. He glanced around his house, outfitted in a way that matched the simple, un-fussy clergy and decided against the invitation. Neither of his parents would find much to admire in sobriety and simplicity, and he was already out on a limb making his pastoral debut at Christmas, without the added strain of preaching to a crowd that included his ever-critical parents.

Snatching up his belongings, he made his way towards the door and out into the street, blinking in the bright morning sun, his mood a little rattled and the letter from his mother still pressing on his mind.


	17. Chapter 17

"George…put Alexander down!"

Lizzy swallowed her laugh, barely able even to lecture her little cousin after the way he abruptly opened his arms and dropped his new friend head-first onto the ground. _Thank goodness we are outside!_ The earth was hard from frost but nowhere near as hard as the church's stone floor would have been. Still, Alexander scrambled upright almost immediately, grinning and socking George playfully on the arm. Neither boy seemed to mind, and soon a very genial wrestling match had broken out, brought to a swift conclusion by Mrs Gardiner who pleaded with her son to remember that he was a guest in this village and if he wished to be welcomed back he might hold back from fighting with the residents.

"Right!" Georgiana said, ushering her last collection of children into the churchyard. She looked at Lizzy, frowning in surprise. "Why are you all standing around out here?"

"Mr Lambert is not here," Lizzy said, smiling at the way the gaggle of village children hovered around Georgiana like chicks around their mother hen. Absentmindedly, she straightened bonnets and tugged at shawls, shuffling the music she had brought from one hand to another.

"Well…I do not suppose he would mind us making a start all by ourselves," she said, at last, striding forward and pushing the door to the small church open. "Come along, children. We do not have very long and we have a great deal of work to do!"

This announcement was met with a chorus of excited giggles and groans from the children, but they all obediently filed in, avoiding Alexander and George, who lurked in the doorway intent on tripping people, until George caught a warning gleam in his favourite cousin's eye, and stood swiftly to attention, breaking character to laugh and chase Alexander across the threshold.

"George…!" Mrs Gardiner called wearily after him, shuffling the baby to her other hip and striding after her other children.

Georgiana hovered in the doorway, peering down the street as if looking for someone and Lizzy discerned the look in an instant. She laid a hand on Georgiana's shoulder.

"I am sure he will be along shortly."

"Who?" Georgiana spun around, hastening into the chapel. "I'm not sure who you mean, Elizabeth!"

Lizzy hid her smile behind one gloved hand, sure that Georgiana's use of her full Christian name instead of the more familiar _Lizzy_ she favoured was indication enough that she had correctly read the situation. Georgiana was awaiting the arrival of Mr Lambert, although she would never admit as much. She bit down on her tongue, recalling more than one occasion that she had haunted the windows at Hunsford eager for a glimpse of Mr Darcy. She would have denied it, as Georgiana would now, and perhaps it was unkind to press her on a truth that was only too evident to Elizabeth. _Let her keep her secret._

"Come along children!" Georgiana declared, clapping her hands over the collective chattering of the children and silence reigned over the small crowd for a moment. Georgiana began explaining her plan. She had made a small selection of popular Christmas songs and rhymes that they would work on perfecting for a performance on Christmas Eve in this very church.

"That is very soon, Miss Darcy," one little girl lisped, tugging worriedly at one auburn curl. "Do you really think we shall manage it?"

"I think you shall manage it admirably!" Georgiana smiled. "You are all very bright children, and you know all of these songs. It is merely a matter of learning to sing them together. Now, shall we begin?"

Clearing her throat, she began with a familiar melody, her sweet voice lifting and falling in time with the words that Lizzy knew off by heart. She found herself joining with the singing, albeit with rather less talent than Georgiana. She was not possessed of an particularly good voice, although she could just about manage to successfully carry a tune, especially the simple ones favoured by Christmas songs.

Next came the children, who joined in at once, a cacophony of keys and notes and timing that rendered the whole merely a chaotic noise.

"Stop, stop!" Georgiana yelped, holding her hands over her ears and grimacing comically. The children let out peals of high-pitched laughter and Georgiana smiled, pausing to consider the problem. Inspiration seemed to strike her almost immediately and she began patting each child on the head in turn, giving them a number.

"Everybody who received number one, please put your hands up!"

A ripple of pudgy hands stretched skywards.

"Excellent!" Georgiana beamed. "You can all go over here with Mrs Darcy. Number twos?"

A slightly smaller group raised their hands.

"You shall join Mrs Gardiner."

Mary led the charge, exclaiming delightedly that this was "_her Mamarrrr and she was the most nicest lady there__….except for Lizzy and Georgiana…"_

The final group - the largest, Lizzy noticed with a grim smile of satisfaction - was left to Georgiana's tender mercies.

"Mrs Darcy?" Alexander, his hands shoved in his pockets, stared up at Elizabeth. "What are we s'posed to do now?"

"Well, Alexander," Lizzy said, glancing desperately at Georgiana who was already beginning to lead her small flock in a series of vocal warm-ups more technical than Lizzy could even manage to accomplish herself, let alone succeed in teaching to a group of children more interested in whispering and pinching one another than singing in tune and in time.

"Well, Alexander. Children…" she said, turning a bright smile on her group and feigning confidence she did not feel. "We are going to sing." Bending at the waist, she gathered her small flock around her and dropped her voice to a whisper. "And we are going to be the best of the three groups. What say you?"

The children blinked back at her, unenthused. Lizzy frowned, wondering what she could possibly use to motivate her group into action. Her eyebrows lifted. "I have a particularly plummy wedge of fruit cake at Pemberley. If our group is the best, I shall bring it for us to share on the afternoon of the concert. Is that encouragement enough to work your very hardest?"

The children cheered and Lizzy felt her spirits lift. She had never considered herself very gifted around children that were not related to her, and in numbers greater than two or three, but here she seemed to have captured the imagination of a whole group! _We shall make a choir of you yet!_ she silently told her tiny charges, clearing her throat and beginning to sing, whilst holding her hands up like a conductor.


	18. Chapter 18

It was the chiming of the clock on the Livingston mantel that alerted Daniel to the fact that he was running late for an appointment he did not realise he had.

"Are you sure you would not care to stay for another cup of tea, Mr Lambert?" Mrs Livingston asked, looking a little put out at the speed with which Daniel gathered his belongings and made for the door, bidding his hosts a hearty farewell as he did so.

"Thank you, no." He beamed. "But I do look forward to seeing you at the Christmas Eve services, and I do hope you will consider attending Miss Darcy's Christmas carol concert in the early evening."

"Miss Darcy's carol concert?" Mrs Livingston frowned. "What is that?"

"Miss Darcy has what?" Mr Livingston was growing increasingly deaf and had followed only every third or fourth word exchanged between his wife and the curate. The introduction of Miss Darcy's name so late in their conversation had evidently piqued his still vibrant curiosity.

"She is putting together a small concert," Daniel said, raising his voice until it felt uncomfortably close to shouting. Mr Livingston did not notice his guest's discomfort, though, merely smiled and nodded.

"I see." Mrs Livingston stood, steering the curate effectively towards the door. As soon as she was out of earshot of her husband, deaf or not, she laid a restraining hand on Daniel's arm. "Mr Lambert." She darted a glance over one shoulder to assure herself she would not be overheard by anybody else and still proceeded to speak in a stern whisper. "Do you think it wise to entrust Miss Darcy with working amongst the children of the village?"

"Wise?" The notion that it could ever be anything other was so surprising to Daniel he was quite unable to temper the shock that showed in his face. Mrs Livingston smiled, sympathetically, her eyes lighting up with gossip she was only too eager to share.

"Ah, I see you have not been fully appraised of the situation."

"The…situation?" Daniel frowned, pausing in the act of placing his hat on his head to clarify his host's meaning. A tiny warning bell was already ringing somewhere in the recesses of his mind. He knew ladies like Mrs Livingston. He had fallen victim to them time and again since Robert's illness. Their feigned concern hid judgment, and they delighted in being the purveyors of news.

"I do not like to speak ill of people," Mrs Livingston demurred, and Daniel bit down hard on his tongue to keep from retorting _then do not speak at all!_ With superhuman strength, he managed to smile, tightly, and waited just long enough for his host to deliver whatever crushing blow she clearly intended on delivering.

"You may care to enquire over Miss Darcy's past association with a gentleman by the name of Wickham, Mr Lambert. Of course, nothing came of it, but I am not sure that the mothers and fathers of this parish, good, God-fearing folk, would be very pleased to know that Miss Darcy would be so closely involved in the forming of the young minds of their children."

Daniel was still turning over Mrs Livingston's spiteful words as he walked back towards the church. He consulted his pocket watch, the only family heirloom he had managed to keep and increased his pace, certain that Miss Darcy and the children would have already been expecting him for quite some time. Now, though, he had more than mere eagerness to see Georgiana Darcy again. In spite of his better nature, he could not quite prevent his mind from turning Mrs Livingston's warning over and over as he walked. There was a knowingness in her eyes, as if she fancied some insight that had been denied to others was hers and hers alone and with it the responsibility to share such knowledge with the minister in order to keep him from committing a graver sin. _Graver than disparaging a young lady__'s name?_

By the time he reached the church, he was annoyed, ready to dismiss Mrs Livingston altogether, and as he took the last few steps through the small churchyard he could just distinguish the chorus of children's voices singing in harmony some of the old Christmas songs he so cherished from his own youth. He paused in the doorway, eager to listen and not to disturb them, and fancying he could detect Georgiana's sweet voice from amidst the throng. He smiled waiting for them to land on their last note before pushing the door to the church open and applauding with vigour.

"Bravo! Bravo, all of you!"

The children stopped singing immediately, collapsing into giggles or beaming up at him, ready to receive more praise. Georgiana spun around, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment at being observed unawares, and he removed his hat.

"Miss Darcy, I must congratulate you on your success. If your choir performs even a fraction as well as this tomorrow, well! We shall be better placed than the finest concert halls in London!"

"You are too generous, sir," Georgiana said, ducking her head and turning towards her sister-in-law who, seeming to sense her distress, appeared beside her and slid a companionable arm around her slim waist.

"Accept praise when it is given you, Georgie." She nudged her with one hip. "And when it is earned. Mr Lambert, we are very grateful you should have arrived now and no earlier! I am quite sure you would not speak so warmly of our choir if you had heard them when we first arrived." She looked down at the children, her eyes sparkling with humour. "What a rag-tag bunch you were! And now look, singing like the angels."

"Even if you cannot behave like them!" Mrs Gardiner hissed, leaning down to swipe at a little boy who must have been her son, looking, to Daniel as a very miniature of his father, who grinned sheepishly up at them.

"Well, I am very sorry to have missed the transformation!" Daniel said, turning towards the door. "I suppose you are all eager to return home, now? Perhaps, Miss Darcy, you will allow me to accompany you?"

Georgiana turned to Elizabeth as if to ask her permission, but Mrs Darcy had slipped away, leaving Georgiana with no refuge other than to accept, and, guiding the children like a pair of pied-pipers, Daniel escorted Georgiana Darcy on a meandering tour of the village, all memories of Mrs Livingston's whispers vanishing from his mind with one smile from Georgiana.


	19. Chapter 19

Georgiana was quite convinced that her walking almost-alone with Mr Lambert was a scheme of Elizabeth's, for her sister-in-law remained always several yards behind them, bringing up the rear of the small party with Mrs Gardiner.

"…I assure you, Miss Darcy, my first attempt at performance was a disaster!" Mr Lambert finished his story with a laugh that was so genuine that Georgiana could not help but join in. He had been telling her an amusing anecdote of his life prior to his arrival in Derbyshire, entirely self-deprecating over his faults, and yet never seeking sympathy or contradiction. Her smile grew as she contrasted this Mr Lambert with the proud, bad-tempered individual she had first interacted with at the tea room. How different they were! And how mistaken she had been to judge him on that same first impression!

"I wonder, Mr Lambert, that you decided to pursue a career in the church, if speaking before a crowd does not come naturally to you."

Mr Lambert's bright smile dropped and Georgiana hurried to explain herself, fearing he read some criticism in her observation.

"I only speak for myself: I do not enjoy public attention, and the thought of seeking it out on a weekly basis is enough to send me reaching for smelling salts!" She smiled, encouragingly. "Did you have a change of heart during your studies?"

"Something like that," Mr Lambert said, stiffly.

Georgiana frowned, wondering what had prompted such a change in her companion. Was her question so very surprising? She tried again, hoping to undo whatever damage she had caused.

"You enjoy it now, though, I imagine? Or you have found enough in the role of curate that outweighs the unhappy prospect of addressing the congregation on a Sunday."

"I take the responsibility seriously," Mr Lambert said, his voice strained. When Georgiana looked at him, his gaze was fixed on the distance but she fancied he did not see the trees overhead nor the winding path they were following, but something else entirely, something distant and far-off that she had no knowledge of. She bit her lip, wishing she could take back her words, retreat to their laughter of a few moments earlier, and was struggling to think of a new topic to steer them towards when Mr Lambert spoke again.

"It was my brother's dream, Miss Darcy, if I am honest, not mine. My brother was a great orator, and much the more confident of the two of us. He is older by a year, but I often felt as if there were ten years compressed into that one, for he always seemed far wiser and more adventurous than I."

Georgiana nodded, sensing that she would serve her friend best by staying silent and allowing him to speak without censure.

"He was partway through his training when he fell gravely ill, and I am sorry to say he has never fully recovered."

"Oh!" Georgiana's hand flew to her mouth. She could not bear the thought of losing her own brother and could only imagine the impact such a loss had had on the gentleman walking alongside her. "I had no idea."

"I do not speak of him often," Mr Lambert confessed, with a slight smile. "He lives with my parents in London, where he might have access to the best doctors and treatments, but I am sorry to say there is little improvement. His place, then, passed to me, and it was agreed with the rector of this parish to hold it in stead until I was ready to take up the job." His smile grew tight. "I owe a debt of gratitude to him for working on until I qualified, for without this position I would be quite adrift. The care of my brother, you see, has taken quite a toll on my family."

He did not say _on my family finances_ but Georgiana was not naïve enough to be unaware of the financial drain doctors could be.

"You will - you will not see them for Christmas, then?" she ventured, at last, eager to offer something in return for his trust in confessing such a story to her. "They are not travelling to visit you?"

"I think not." Mr Lambert's smile grew bitter. "My father and I did not part on the best of terms. He mourns the loss of my brother - or, rather, refuses to acknowledge that my brother remains amongst us, although sadly altered by illness. I was not his favourite before Robert's misfortune and I have not become so in the intervening years."

He said this without a trace of regret, merely the sad acknowledgement of a fact that had defined his life to this point. Again, Georgiana's heart constricted in sympathy. She had always been somewhat treasured and petted at home, even after her parents had died, for she and her brother were close and remained everything to one another. That had not changed with Darcy's marriage. If anything, Georgiana had grown her affections to include Elizabeth and had become more treasured than ever. Her heart ached for Daniel, who had been forced into a career he would not have chosen and distanced from a family who had little time or affection to spare him since his own brother's misfortune.

"Then - perhaps - perhaps you would care to spend Christmas at Pemberley," she rushed out, at last, praying that her cheeks did not look as hot and flushed as they felt. His eyes met hers and she darted her gaze away, somehow unable to both speak to and look at him at the same time. "I know my brother would be most delighted to have another gentleman present, and if you are new to the village I do not suppose you have many other homes open to you at such short notice."

"You are correct, Miss Darcy, I do not." His words sounded light and merry again as if he was smiling when he spoke them. Still, Georgiana could not quite trust herself to look at him, fearing she would betray the feelings she was as yet still unsure of in herself. "You are very kind to think of me. I accept, most gratefully."

He cleared his throat and then, as if sensing her dis-ease, drew both of their attention to a robin dancing merrily on the road ahead of them. This soon caught the attention of the children, and soon their walk became an expedition, with the goal of who could identify the most birds before reaching home.


	20. Chapter 20

By the time every child had been escorted back to his or her home, the clouds had grown rather heavy overhead and upon reaching Pemberley none of the ladies could be persuaded to bid farewell to Daniel without inviting him in for a few moments to warm up by the fire and take some refreshments.

Daniel, who was encouraged to accept their offer of hospitality by the bright smile Georgiana wore more than any of the maternal fussing of the other two ladies, was whisked into the Pemberley parlour and forced into a chair close to the fire which, he had to confess, was very comfortable indeed. He kept his own fires low, often shivering a little against the cold but reluctant either to spend out for firewood or to be seen as anything less than self-sacrificing, as befitted a clergyman. He did not complain at being afforded an opportunity to rest and warm up.

"Mr Lambert!"

Mr Darcy's voice was brisk as he crossed the threshold and strolled into the room. All three ladies vanished upon his arrival, as Mrs and Miss Darcy mumbled some excuse about securing refreshments and stowing bonnets and shawls safely away, and Mrs Gardiner whisked her children back up to the nursery, promising to return just as soon as she had located her errant husband. Daniel stood to greet his host.

"Mr Darcy." He smiled, a little nervously, for Darcy wore a frown that made his handsome features appear rather stern in the dim afternoon light.

"I hear you are to join us for Christmas," he remarked, sitting down and gesturing for Daniel to do the same.

"Y-yes." Daniel folded his hands in his lap. "That is to say, Miss Darcy invited me, but I, of course, do not wish to impose…"

"There is no imposition." Darcy's frown darkened and he appeared to be observing Daniel rather closely. Never fond of scrutiny, Daniel particularly suffered under this, for he liked Darcy and longed to be liked by him in return. He thought it possible the two might one day become friends, but there was the complication of Georgiana. He would not be able to tell, surely, that Daniel's heart was in very real danger of being lost to Darcy's pretty sister merely by looking at him?

"The invitation ought to have come from me, and for that, I apologise." Darcy steepled his fingers, resting his chin on their point and regarded Daniel carefully. "I have a confession to make, Mr Lambert, and I shall do it quickly, while the ladies are out of earshot."

Daniel's heart began to beat rather rapidly. He was unsure where Darcy was going and feared some great secret was about to be shared which he was ill-equipped and ill-prepared to hear.

"Oh?" He swallowed, praying Darcy had not noticed the high pitched squeak his voice had become.

"I have made a few enquiries into your family, Lambert. I am not fond of gossip, nor do I indulge in it." Here the frown darkened into almost a scowl. "But I felt some flare of recognition at your name. My path crossed once or twice with your brother."

Daniel felt the colour drain from his cheeks.

"Oh."

"How is he doing, now?"

The kindness with which Darcy formed these last words was so startling that Daniel jolted in his seat and glanced up, no less surprised to see that same kindness etched into his host's features.

"Oh, he…he…manages," Daniel managed, at last. What else could he say? There was no great hope of recovery, but Robert seemed at least to be surviving from one week to the next. At last as far as Daniel could tell. Mama's notes never dwelt too long in details, but he knew her well enough to read between the lines for all she did _not _say concerning her son's wellbeing.

"You ought to get him up here sometime," Darcy said, leaning back in his chair and in so doing prompting Daniel to relax. "There are fine spa towns all up and down the dales which might be of some benefit. I know many people seek convalescence there."

"Thank you, Mr Darcy. It is certainly something to consider. Only -"

The door opened again and the rest of their party swept in, Georgiana straying almost immediately to the piano.

"Oh, what a lovely idea, Georgie!" Mrs Darcy said, greeting her husband with an embrace and settling comfortably into the chair nearest to him. "Play something for us."

"Are you not exhausted with music after your morning's exertions?" Darcy asked, shooting a wry look at Daniel, who managed to manufacture a smile in return. He could not quite track Darcy's moods yet, but could not fail to notice how the presence of his wife had a softening effect on him, making him instantly easier to be around.

"Oh, hush!" Mrs Darcy said, elbowing her husband in the side and exchanging some look with him that Daniel could not begin to fathom.

Georgiana began playing and Daniel felt his nerves relax. She was a talent, indeed, but there was more than mere mechanical skill to her playing. She seemed truly at one with the music, and he was more delighted than anyone when she consented to play a second piece for them. This was a little slower at first, more halting, as if she had but recently begun to learn it and was not yet master of it. Daniel listened only for a bar or two before straightening in his seat.

"Oh, but this is the piece we danced to -" He caught himself too late, flushing and hiding his head in one hand at the juvenile expression of delight. To his relief, though, nobody seemed to mind his reaction. In fact, the look that was exchanged between Mr and Mrs Darcy suggested that they had been only too aware of this detail and it had, perhaps, been planned that way. Daniel sank back into his seat, his eyes on the dancing flames as he listened to Georgiana play the piece that once they had first heard together, and thanked Providence that, whatever unhappy circumstance had led to him taking on the role of curate to this parish, it had also brought him into a circle that contained people like these. _Friends_. His eyes lifted to Georgiana, bent over her piano as she continued to play, and he swallowed his smile. _True friends__…_


	21. Chapter 21

It was already getting dark by the time Daniel bade the Darcy family goodbye and began the short walk home. Mrs Darcy had been only too eager to press him to join them for dinner, and even her husband had seemed quite genuine in his encouragement to Daniel to stay, but he was firm in his refusal. He had not dared to risk a glance at Georgiana to determine where her feelings lay. His own were still new enough to him that he preferred to nurse them in private a while longer.

_Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,_ he reminded himself as he walked. _And I have quite enough to be thinking about in preparing for that!_ He would have another round of parish visits, followed by Georgiana's concert, the midnight services and then Christmas Day. His smile grew. It was a relief to think of spending the afternoon with the Darcys - and not only for Georgiana's sake. For the first time since he had arrived in Derbyshire, he felt as if he had friends. Indeed, for the first time since he had begun this rocky, reluctant journey into the ministry he felt as if people might, possibly, care to know him for himself. The feeling was refreshing, but he knew it would serve him ill to indulge in it too long. _I will only think of it until I get home_, he thought. Once he crossed the threshold of his own humble house, he would be swept up in work, and have little time to think of anything else. Until then, though, he allowed his thoughts to dwell a little longer than perhaps they ought on a certain pretty young lady, whose hair shone like spun gold in the pale winter's light, and whose smile he longed to see again, turned towards him in a joke, perhaps, or in response to some story he had shared with her…

He walked in a daze, scarcely aware of where he was going and certainly paying no mind to what lay ahead of him so that he was almost to his door before he noticed the dark shadow of a carriage. He frowned, knowing he himself did not possess one, and yet feeling a strange recognition. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as he stepped across the hearth, sensing as if by magic, the presence of someone he had never thought he would see in that particular place, and certainly not so soon.

"Mother?"

His question carried him into the small room that qualified as a parlour, looking unbearably poor and shabby in comparison to both Pemberley's and the one he knew his mother had left behind her in London. He swallowed his shame, reminding himself that the house was perfectly serviceable for his needs as a bachelor curate and had always suited him quite well until that point.

There was a fire blazing in the hearth and Daniel was surprised to see a slim figure hunched over in front of it.

"Rob?" He flew to his brother's side, welcoming the enthusiastic embrace he always received from this version of his brother, who had lost his reserve and polite indifference along with many other characteristics in his lasting bout with illness.

"Hello, Daniel!" he beamed, toothily at him. "Mama, look, it's Daniel!"

"So it is, dear," Mrs Lambert said, wearily.

Daniel settled his brother back into his chair and turned to greet his mother.

"What are you doing here, Mother?" Daniel asked, whipping his hat off his head and clutching it awkwardly at his waist. He glanced over his shoulder. "Did Father come?"

"Your Father remained at home, Daniel. He was a little unwell and did not care to travel." His mother's smile was pained. She did not elaborate, but Daniel did not need her to. Father would not have tolerated the suggestion of removing from London, at Christmas or at any other time. He needed to be in the centre of the social whirl and being rid of his wife and son would only improve the season's appeal for him.

"Well, I am pleased to see you." Daniel's sentiment was genuine, although his smile did not quite reach his eyes. "I only wish you might have written in advance. I could have prepared something - I might at least have been at home!"

"We wanted to surprise you!" Robert exclaimed, before clamping his hand over his mouth in a pantomime of shock that he had blurted out the very secret he had evidently been under great duress to keep.

"And surprise me you have!" Daniel replied, turning to punch his brother lightly on the arm. Robert laughed and fought back, lacking the co-ordination he had once possessed, but with all the familiar affection of any older brother. Daniel looked at his mother. "Have you eaten? You will want something after travelling so far."

"Thank you. Your housekeeper has been looking after us admirably." She permitted a small smile for the son she had not seen in a long time, but it was bittersweet. The same bittersweet feeling that Daniel felt when he first took up this position. It was a job, and a good one, one he ought to be grateful for, but he could not help but lament that it had not been _his_, originally. It had not been won by his own talent or skill, nor had it even been the type of job he might have sought had he been afforded the opportunity to choose. This was Robert's job, Robert's house, Robert's life - and Daniel was the one living it. He thought, then, of Georgiana, taunted by the notion that, had Robert made a full recovery, had he never even fallen ill, to begin with, then he would have been the one to make Georgiana's Darcy's acquaintance. _He would not have alienated her upon first meeting, either, _he thought, ruefully recalling that fateful first time their paths had crossed at the tea room and how Daniel had lost his temper. It was a testament to Georgiana's good nature that she did not hold that outburst against him but had given him the opportunity to start over, and to see what a treasure he might have missed, had he held fast to his own first opinion.

"What is the matter, Daniel?" Mrs Lambert asked, looking at her son with a strange light in her eyes. "You look a little peculiar. I hope you do not object to your brother and I travelling to spend the season with you." Her eyes shone. "It is your first church, after all, and I did so wish to see you succeed, your first Christmas."

Guiltily, Daniel chased his regrets away. He might have lost his own freedom of choice in his career, but Robert had lost more. His parents, too, had laid their own wishes aside to care for the son who, had Providence been kinder, would now be caring for _them_.

"Nothing is the matter, Mother." Daniel stooped and kissed her faintly on one cheek. "I am merely a little tired. I had a busy day."

"Oh?"

Her unspoken question was enough to press Daniel to elaborate and once he began he found it difficult to stop. He told his family about the choir that Georgiana was putting together and the fact that he was late returning after a visit to Pemberley to call on the rest of the Darcy family.

"Darcy?" Mrs Lambert said, sharply. "Of course, it had not occurred to me that they would be here for Christmas. I recall his mother." Her voice noticeably softened the way it rarely did when discussing social connections formed in London. His mother had clearly been fond of the late Mrs Darcy.

"Well, mother, if you are to be here for Christmas I will be able to introduce you to her son and his new wife." He paused. "And his sister."

If Mrs Lambert noticed the way her son's demeanour changed at the fleeting mention of Georgiana Darcy, she had the grace not to mention it, and the evening progressed far more happily than Daniel might have presumed it could, had he the notion that his mother and brother were to descend in time for Christmas.


	22. Chapter 22

Despite having managed his life to the extent that he was not often forced into society he did not enjoy, Darcy still preferred this last quiet hour of the day above all. Sequestered in his study, but with the door left open - a tiny concession to the fact that he was now married, and rather liked the occasions his wife and sister took to disturb his sanctuary or even to join him for conversation - he nursed a brandy and listened to the crackle of the fire in the fireplace as he reflected on the day.

_It is good to see Georgiana happy again_.

He grimaced, because he had been the last person to suggest that Georgiana was in any way _un_happy before. There had been the Wickham business, of course, but after that, when life settled down once more to some kind of normal, Georgiana had resumed her music and been her cheerful, happy self once more. It had been Elizabeth who suggested there was something wrong: which suggestion he had indulged only insofar as it came from his perceptive, sympathetic wife. He did not credit it with having very much foundation in reality. Lizzy had not known Georgiana before, after all. She was surely basing her conclusions on Georgiana's behaviour in contrast to her own. Or, worse, in contrast to her sisters. Darcy's took another sip of his drink, choking a little as he compared his own sister with Catherine or Lydia. Yes, compared to either of those Georgiana might indeed seem prone to low-spirits. But she was not unlike Jane or Mary was she? She was happy. She had been happy…

And yet, the Georgiana who had prattled excitedly at the dining table that evening had been as unlike the Georgiana of a week ago as any, and he was forced to acknowledge that perhaps, in this, his wife had been correct.

There was a knock at his door, and he glanced up, unsurprised to see Elizabeth standing there. She seemed uncannily aware of the turn his thoughts took at any moment of the day, promptly appearing as if his thinking of her had called her to him.

"Good evening, husband!" she declared, stepping lightly over the threshold and into the room. She paused by the fire, holding her hands out to it to warm them, and eyed him suspiciously. "Am I interrupting?"

"When could you ever interrupt me?" Darcy replied, taking a sip of his drink.

Lizzy laughed and danced over to the seat opposite him, folding herself into it and reaching for his glass. She lifted it to her lips but did not drink, instead pulling a face and passing it back to him.

"I do not understand the attraction of liquor."

"Which circumstance is a happy one." Darcy took the glass back and drained it, setting it carefully down on the table between them. He slid his hand over to hers and smoothed the back of her thumb. "Would you like tea? I suppose I can summon some."

"No, do not put the servants to any trouble now," Lizzy said, easily. She stifled a yawn. "I shall be retiring soon, anyway, I merely came to see if you were well."

Darcy considered this for a moment before looking up into his wife's sparkling eyes, the eyes that had first won his heart what felt like an eternity ago.

"You did not," he replied, with a morose sigh. "You came to gloat."

"Gloat?" Lizzy's eyebrows lifted. "Over what?"

"You are quite right, of course. There, you must be content, now, and do not make me miserable in rejoicing over it."

Lizzy laughed.

"Well, I shall take the compliment, when it is bestowed so very graciously. But, pray tell, what am I _right _about on this particular occasion?"

"Georgiana."

It cost Darcy a great deal to acknowledge that someone else knew his sister better than he did, and had he been forced to defer to anyone other than his own wife he quite likely would not have done so.

"What about her?"

Lizzy was not prompting for more compliments. She genuinely desired to know what direction Darcy's thoughts had taken, and he acknowledged that it would do him good to speak them aloud.

"You think she cares for this Lambert fellow."

"_I _think?"

"Very well, I think it too." Darcy's words were little more than a growl. "I suppose she might have made a worse choice." He did not say _she did make a worse choice once before_, but the sentiment was clear. Lizzy shivered as if a cold breeze had found its way to her neck, but Darcy knew that this was merely a reaction to the unmentioned history between Georgiana and Mr Wickham, whose interference had, conversely, been the very thing that forced Darcy to acknowledge just how deeply he cared for Elizabeth in the first place. His eyes fluttered closed. He would not credit George Wickham with a hand in anything so sacred as his marriage.

"He cares for her, that much is evident," Darcy continued, straightening and pouring himself another measure of brandy, which action he was often compelled to take when assailed by thoughts of George Wickham.

"Is that not enough?" Lizzy's voice was gentle, but with a sharp undercurrent. He knew she feared that he would let his pride cloud his judgment of their new curate as it had once clouded his judgment of her. Darcy frowned. Would she never fully appreciate just how much he had changed? _If I must still convince her, even after all this time__…_

He drank down the last of his draught and pushed his glass out of reach, turning, clear-headed, to his wife and taking her hand in both of his.

"You think I am still too proud to consider a humble clergyman a suitable prospect for my sister."

"That is not what I said." Elizabeth squirmed, evidently uncomfortable at having her motives so clearly understood.

"You did not need to say it, dearest. You forget, however well you esteem to know me, I am at least almost as well-acquainted with you." His eyes twinkled. "We have known each other a little while, after all, and have seen many sides to one another's characters. We are not strangers."

"No," Lizzy conceded, with a nervous smile. "But Mr Lambert…"

"Mr Lambert is a gentleman," Darcy acknowledged. "I recognise the name. I know the family." He frowned. "There was some tragedy concerning the elder brother. But regardless: he is a good man, and he has clearly already lost his heart to Georgiana within only a few hours of meeting her." His lips quirked into a smile. "I could not help but feel some sympathy for the poor man at Georgiana's first scathing reception of him at dinner. Recall, he is not the only gentleman to make a poor first impression on the young lady he loves."

Lizzy's smile grew, then, and she leaned forwards, spontaneously dropping a kiss on Darcy's smiling lips.

"Then you approve?"

"I approve," Darcy said, with a sigh. "Although I cannot confess to being delighted. I do not despair of them making a happy match but I would be foolish not to wish for a _little_ wealth on his side."

"Is Georgiana not wealthy enough for them both?"

This was an argument that had no counter, and Darcy shrugged, acknowledging its truth without the need of words.

"And you cannot tell me you will mind her living so close to Pemberley. Imagine if she fell in love with a gentleman who resided at the opposite end of the country!"

This was too much, and Darcy laughed, leaning back in his chair and stretching.

"You would have them married by Epiphany, I suppose?"

Lizzy said nothing but smiled at him before bidding him goodnight and retreating to bed.


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N - Well, this is supposed to be a Christmas story and now it's officially the Eve...I feel duty-bound to hurry up and wrap things up, both literally and figuratively ;) Warning, incoming chapters...now!_

_...and Happy, Happy Christmas! xxx_

* * *

Georgiana arrived early at the church for the Christmas Eve concert, dressed in her favourite red dress. She had taken special care over her appearance that morning, which she had argued was on account of being on display with the children in the choir. In truth, buried so deep she could scarcely admit it to herself, she had dressed with care and attention because she knew she would be seeing Daniel again. This dress was one of her favourites and was such a festive shade of red she could think of nothing more perfect to wear that day.

"Miss Darcy!" One of the little girls from the choir broke hold of her mother's hand and scurried over to Georgiana as soon as she arrived at the church, throwing her arms around Georgiana's knees before apparently thinking better of so familiar a greeting and back-tracking as quickly as her little legs would carry her.

"Good afternoon, Sally!" Georgiana cried, bending down to straighten a bow in the little girl's hair. "You look very pretty today! Are you ready to do some singing?"

Sally blushed a shade of red that matched Georgiana's dress and nodded, her eyes wide with a sudden burst of shyness.

"Go on then, find your place with all the others!" Georgiana said, patting her on the shoulder and pointing towards the group of children who were being ordered into three straight lines by a patient army of mothers and older sisters.

"You too, George." Mrs Gardiner had entered the church shortly after Georgiana and bent to put Mary's feet on the floor, just in time for George to scurry away, completely abandoning his little sister in favour of Alexander, who he had just caught sight of. Mrs Gardiner let out a weary sigh as she straightened, patting her hair into place with a look of resignation.

"He seems excited to be here," Georgiana said.

"He has talked of nothing else all day!" Mrs Gardiner chuckled. "I trust you did not hear how he has modified the words to more than one of the songs they shall be singing this afternoon? I told him on pain of punishment not to think of substituting them in church." She bit back a smile. "I may have exaggerated how important this concert was to Mr Lambert, and how very naughty indeed it was to disobey a curate! I hope he won't mind me using him, but he is still an unknown quantity to George and thus the only one of us who might still pose any kind of a threat."

Georgiana laughed, wondering how anyone could find anything even vaguely threatening in the kind-hearted curate. She forced her memory back to their first meeting, when she had thought him grumpy and bad-tempered - but never a disciplinarian.

"Speaking of Mr Lambert! How well he looks this afternoon. I wonder who that is with him…perhaps some parishioners we have yet to meet, although they do look very well-acquainted with one another."

Georgiana turned, unable to hide her curiosity, and noticed two figures. One, a gentleman a year or two older than Daniel, leaned heavily on a cane and looked pale and anxious, his expression darting around the church nervously. The other was an older woman and realisation soon dawned on Georgiana that this must be Daniel's family. His mother and the brother he had mentioned only the previous day! Her heart went out to him on account of his infirmity and before she was fully conscious of moving she had begun to make her way closer to the trio, stopping only when Daniel looked up, catching her eye. She smiled, but instead of smiling back, as she had expected, his expression clouded over and he averted his gaze, turning back to speak to his mother. Georgiana paused in her progress, feeling slighted without really knowing why. She adjusted her path at the last moment, turning towards the children and deciding she would be better served by addressing her attention to the chaotic choir she was at least nominally responsible for, rather than inserting herself into a family group to which she could make no claim.

_Perhaps he did not see me_, a generous voice suggested to her, as she tried to wrangle her thoughts to focus on the task at hand. _Or perhaps he did and wished he hadn__'t!_ Almost unconsciously, Georgiana reached a hand up to her curls, wishing that she had taken Lizzy up on her off of assistance. She was the expert in dressing hair as lovely as Georgiana's, she claimed, for she had spent most of her life managing her sister Jane's, and Georgiana's was, if it were possible, an even more lovely shade of gold. Georgiana, determined not to confess her attention to her appearance and risk Lizzy speculating over the reason for it, had refused, and wondered, now, if that had been an error. But, no. She did not think Daniel so fickle as to change his opinion of her on account of her hair.

The last minutes of preparation passed in a blur to Georgiana and almost before she was aware of it, the chatter of voices dropped to a low hum. When she glanced out over the church she was surprised to see every pew filled and realised, with a pinch of nervous anticipation, that the whole village had turned out to hear the concert. _It makes sense_, she reasoned. _Everyone here has some connection to a child in the choir. It is their children they come to see!_ Even so, she felt a strange ripple of pleasure that her idea had been so well received. Her eyes strayed to the Darcy pew and she saw her brother and Elizabeth sitting comfortably together, ready to enjoy the performance. Mr and Mrs Gardiner were beside them, the latter looking a little nervous, as she scarcely dared to take her eyes off the mischievous George, who, to his credit, was behaving himself as the choir readied themselves to begin. Georgiana took a step forward, addressing her charges in a quiet whisper.

"Now, you need none of you feel nervous," she said, with a gentle smile at the youngest children in the front row, who were staring, wide-eyed at the crowd before them. "These are all your family and friends, and they just want to see you enjoying yourselves. So, big smiles!" She stretched her own lips wide in an exaggerated version and prompted a ripple of laughter. "And let's begin…"


	24. Chapter 24

Lizzy was certain she had never enjoyed a carol concert more. She was not sure whether it was the skill of the performance - for she had seen the choir when it was first formed and could remember only too well how tuneless and distracted the children had been - or the fact that when faced with so many shiny-faced children it was impossible not to smile, but the concert was an unmitigated success. There were calls of _encore_ even before the last note finished sounding and the cheers and laughter of the families all around them were contagious. At last, the applause died down enough that Mr Lambert could step forward to address his congregation.

"I think we might all agree that the children of our village are some of the most talented in the county, if not the whole of England!" he declared, which garnered still more applause and was, Lizzy thought, a very canny way to win the immediate affection of every mother seated in the church.

"I hope to see all of you tomorrow morning to celebrate our saviour's birth - and trust that you will all take some time to enjoy the holiday festivities. A chance to rest and enjoy time with loved ones."

Here, his gaze strayed to the right of the church and Lizzy could not help craning her neck to see what had caught his attention. It was not Georgiana, who sat to the left, and Lizzy felt a tiny flicker of indignance on her sister-in-law's behalf. In fact, there was something different about Mr Lambert that evening. It could not simply be nerves about the concert, for if that had not been a success it would certainly not have reflected badly upon him, but upon Georgiana, which was one reason she and Darcy had cheered first and loudest of all. She strained a little more, wishing she were taller and Darcy turned to look at her, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

"Is something the matter?" he whispered.

"I am trying to see who Mr Lambert looked at when he said _loved ones_."

"Did he look at anyone in particular?" Darcy asked, with an amused smile. "I thought he was speaking to the assembled crowd, reminding us to put aside our petty differences and desire for solitude in honour of the season." He spoke with grim resignation, but Lizzy knew him well enough now to see that he was teasing her. She elbowed him in return, ignoring the sharp intake of breath that drew a concerned glance from the older gentleman sitting in front of them.

"You shall court a scandal of your own if you do not be still," Darcy said, struggling not to laugh at the look of utter disappointment Lizzy wore when the people in front of them began to stand and make their way forward to collect their children and return home. There was no way to see the front pew now for her view was utterly obscured by bodies and she let out a sigh.

"I thought I saw someone I did not recognise."

"Really." Darcy raised his eyebrows. "A stranger. At Christmas. You do not think, perhaps, that many people have family and friends visiting them for the season?" He nodded pointedly towards Mr and Mrs Gardiner, who had escaped the confines of the pew just in time to separate George and Alexander from a prank involving a lighted candle that, if unchecked, could well have ended in disaster.

"I know _we_ have family visiting, but I am trying to determine if, perhaps, Mr Lambert has guests also."

Darcy frowned, and Lizzy could tell that he was now almost as curious as she was.

"Let's ask him!"

Lizzy was on her feet in an instant and felt rather than saw her husband hurry after her, certain that he was coming only to keep his wife from interfering where she was not welcome.

"Mr Lambert! Oh, wasn't the concert wonderful?" Lizzy asked, waving to catch the eye of their curate.

Mr Lambert turned at the sound of her voice, his smile dropping slightly as he recognised her and Lizzy frowned, wondering if he was disappointed she was not Georgiana, or if he had anticipated someone else altogether.

"Don't you think the children did a good job?" she persisted, and was a little gratified when he recovered himself quickly, nodding and smiling in agreement.

"And Miss Darcy," she put in, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from her husband. She turned to look at him and Darcy, whose face wore what anyone else would recognise as a scowl, gave his wife a look of exasperated affection at her evident determination to proceed with all haste in matching the pair she had decided would be perfect for one another.

"Yes," Mr Lambert said, at last, his expression clearing for a moment. "Yes, she did wonderfully. I ought - I ought to congratulate her."

"Oh, look, there she is!" Lizzy said, pointing out Georgiana who stood with the last of the children, speaking to a tall, sallow-looking gentleman and an older-looking lady dressed in an elegance that looked almost out of place in the homely chapel.

"I'm not sure who that is she is speaking to," Lizzy mused aloud, turning to Darcy for an explanation, but he, too, seemed confused. "Do you know them, Mr Lambert -"

Before she could finish her question, however, Mr Lambert strode towards the trio, almost at a run, and Lizzy and Darcy were left alone, blinking after him in confused silence.


	25. Chapter 25

"Mother!"

Daniel's voice came out louder and sharper than he intended, so both Georgiana and Mrs Lambert looked up at him in surprise.

"I was just speaking to your choir mistress," Mrs Lambert said, coolly looking from her son back to Georgiana, who was standing close to Robert. "I was asking whether she offered private music lessons. You know that Robert has always so enjoyed playing the piano, although he has been afforded little opportunity to practice at home." Her lips quirked in a manner that exhibited polite distaste, a look Daniel knew only too well. He understood its cause, too. Father disliked hearing Robert play, claiming that music was a feminine accomplishment and despairing of his many errors.

"Miss Darcy isn't a music teacher, Mother," Daniel began, glancing desperately at Georgiana again and praying silently that she would take no offence at his mother's mistake.

"Miss Darcy?" Mrs Lambert's eyes widened. "Then you are sister to - "

Daniel heard a pointed cough behind him and turned to find both Mr and Mrs Darcy standing there, bemused and a little curious about the tableau before them.

"Please allow me to introduce Mr and Mrs Darcy, Mama." He drew a breath, hoping his discomfort was not quite so evident to his new friends. "This is my mother, Mrs Marianne Lambert, and my - my brother, Robert." His voice trailed off as he introduced Rob, who had taken a slight step behind Georgiana, evidently a little overwhelmed by all the new faces. Daniel's smile grew pained. He knew only too well how intimidating Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy could be on first meeting, but he was surprised to see the usually stern features of his friend and neighbour stretched in a welcoming smile.

"You are newly arrived, I think?" he asked, nudging his wife a little closer into their small circle. "Indeed, Lambert made no mention of your coming." He shot Daniel a reproachful glance, tempered with a smile to indicate that he was teasing. Daniel blinked, unsure what to say in response to this.

"We arrived yesterday," Mrs Lambert said. "Alas, my husband has been forced to remain in London, but we could not let Daniel's first Christmas in his new parish pass without note."

"Then you must accompany him to Pemberley tomorrow," Mrs Darcy said, with a warm smile of welcome. "Please say you will!" She leaned forward, with a conspiratorial smile. "It is my first Christmas in Derbyshire and I rather lament the loss of my crowded childhood home. It won't be the same with only a few of us!"

"What my wife means," Darcy put in, exchanging a wordless glance with his bride. "Is that you would be most welcome, all of you, to spend Christmas with us. Lambert, I hope you do not feel you have to excuse yourself on account of your family's arrival. You are all welcome to join us."

Daniel nodded, nervously at first, but growing in confidence as he saw his mother's surprised and pleased expression. Whilst not quite as superior in her connections as her husband, she still recognised the value of position, and an invitation to spend Christmas at the estate of Fitzwilliam Darcy had evidently raised her son in her estimations. She glanced anxiously at Robert, clearly torn.

"You are very kind, Mr Darcy," she began. "But my son -"

"Please do not think it will be some great formal affair," Mrs Darcy put in. "And you need not stay the whole day if you do not wish to." She glanced from Daniel to Georgiana, so swiftly that he might have missed it, had he not been looking at her. "But we would very much like to see you."

This warmth was a rarity amongst his mother's London friends, whose affection was usually an affectation, deployed as a weapon. Mrs Lambert was caught off guard. She merely smiled and nodded.

Darcy's eyes caught another acquaintance and he and his wife were steered away from their circle to form another, leaving Daniel with his family and Georgiana, who was soon deep in conversation with Robert about the concert and her own favourite Christmas pieces.

"They seem nice," Mrs Lambert murmured, her voice low enough that only her son would hear. "I did not realise you had formed such a close alliance with the Darcy family."

"Alliance, Mother?" Daniel rolled his eyes. "You make it sound as if we were waging a war. They are friends - that is, they are acquaintances…"

Georgiana seemed to stiffen as if she had heard his words and did not approve of them. Abruptly, or so it seemed to Daniel, she bid Robert a farewell and walked swiftly away, leaving a gap in her wake that Daniel was only too aware of.

"Well!" Mrs Lambert began, evidently shoring up to rail against Georgiana's poor manners. Daniel was in no mood to bear his mother's judgments, though, particularly when he suspected he was the cause of Georgiana's abrupt departure.

"Excuse me, Mama, I must speak to one or two people more before we leave." Turning on his heel, he stalked away before she could summon up a cause to keep him in place, and in a few long strides he had caught up to Georgiana, clearing his throat and addressing her before she could disappear entirely into the crowd.

"Miss Darcy!"

Georgiana stopped but did not immediately turn around. Still, Daniel persevered, taking her lack of further movement as an invitation to speak again.

"Miss Darcy, I have not yet congratulated you on this evening's concert. You did a marvellous job and I appreciate all the efforts you put into preparing and performing." He smiled a little ruefully and it was this she caught sight of as she turned, at last, to look at him. "It is to my detriment that I was not more enthusiastic at the prospect of a concert from your very first mention of it. Even then, I ought to have deduced that you would make it a success."

"Even then?" Georgiana raised her eyebrows. "Come now, Mr Lambert. Let us not forget your very first opinion of me was rather less than flattering. What was the word you used…frivolous?"

Daniel's cheeks flooded with heat and he looked away, too quickly to see the smile that made Georgiana's features shine.

"Yet, if we are speaking of first impressions, I must also repent of mine. I hope we might claim to know one another a little better now?"

There was more meaning behind her question than Daniel could understand at first, and he lifted his gaze, hoping to discern something from her expression. Her smile remained in place, but her eyes were clouded with concern.

"I am pleased to have made your mother and brother's acquaintance."

Daniel nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak.

"I trust that you are pleased to see them. It cannot truly be Christmas without one's family close by, surely?"

"It seems my father does not share your opinion, Miss Darcy." Daniel's voice was grim and he prayed his bitterness was not quite as obvious to Georgiana as he felt it must be.

"Well, friends, then," Georgiana pressed, her eyes wide as she fixed them on him, watching him carefully. "I hope you feel as if you have friends here, even if they did not begin as such."

"Yes, Miss Darcy," Daniel said, his features relaxing into the first genuine smile he had worn since his mother and brother's arrival. He wondered if she could glean the deeper meaning behind his words and dared to hope, from the warmth that flooded her cheeks, that she might. "I do have friends, friends I value more highly than I can say."


	26. Chapter 26

_Yes, Miss Darcy, I do have friends. Friends I value more highly than I can say._

Georgiana blinked into the dancing firelight. She had been turning Daniel's last words to her over and over in her mind, examining them first one way and then another as if she might somehow glean some new truth from them. Had he meant that _she_ was his friend? Of course, she was - but did he think of her in the same way he thought of her brother, of Elizabeth, of twenty other people he had met that evening? Or did he mean something more than _friend_?

She let out a low sigh, but it must have been louder than she had intended, for her brother looked up from his book, eyeing her with concern.

"Are you quite well, Georgiana?"

Elizabeth had been fiddling with a table decoration. She had been determined to master it herself, and despite having pronounced the festive display of greenery _finished_ before they went out that afternoon, since their return she had proceeded to pull it apart and put it back together again no less than three times.

"Oh, do not tell me you are sickening for something!" she cried, with concern. "William, stoke the fire. I am concerned, Georgie. You do look a little pale."

"I am quite well," Georgiana mumbled, feeling heat flood her cheeks at this unprecedented attention from her brother and sister-in-law.

"We need not attend the midnight mass if you prefer to stay at home," Darcy mused, turning over a page in his book that Georgiana was certain he had not read.

"No!"

Her response was too swift, too sharp, and she smiled in a vain attempt to soften it.

"That is to say, I am quite content to go to the midnight service. It will be strange if we do not, don't you think? It is expected."

"I do not suppose people will notice one way or another," Darcy said, which was not true in the least. He exchanged a significant look with his wife that was not missed by Georgiana, who sank still further into her seat and wished her family did not seem so suddenly blessed with perception.

"Mr Lambert will be pleased to see us," Lizzy declared, which made Georgiana sigh all the more heavily and wish she could succeed in burying her head in a cushion, the way she had as a child when she was embarrassed.

"He will be pleased to see _some of us_," Darcy countered, rolling his eyes.

This was too much to bear and Georgiana let out a groan.

"You are both unbearable!"

"Us?" Lizzy laughed, abandoning her pursuit of the perfect table decoration and coming to flop onto the empty half of the sofa next to Georgiana. "You are the one who still maintains there is no connection whatsoever between you and Mr Lambert when the very opposite is evident to all who observe you for even a moment!"

Darcy harrumphed, making a show of noisily turning his page.

"I wager he loved you first, of course," Lizzy continued, oblivious to both her husband and Georgiana's discomfort. In spite of herself, Georgiana could not help but ask for proof of this.

"How could you tell?"

"Why, at our dinner he could scarcely keep from looking at you. Only when he did not think he was being observed, of course. He looked bitterly regretful of how he had acted upon our first meeting, but I remain convinced that he was more annoyed with me than you that day anyway."

"I wonder how that could have been possible," Darcy remarked, with a wry glance at his wife, who blew him a kiss in retaliation and turned back to Georgiana.

"Has he spoken to you? Given you any insight into his thoughts?"

"None at all!" Georgiana lamented, reaching for a cushion and burying her head into it, never mind that she was practically grown. She could hardly stand to speak like this within her brother's hearing, much less to do so whilst looking at him. Lizzy was a little easier to bear, but even so, it was hardly what Georgiana might choose. _Particularly after last time._ She could remember only too clearly the raptures she had shared with her companion at the time about the dashing Mr Wickham and his professions of love. _How false they turned out to be, and how foolish I was to believe them!_

"That does not signify," Darcy remarked, from his corner. He still kept his gaze astutely fixed on his book, but it was evident he was far more invested in the conversation between the two young ladies than he otherwise might care to admit. "Many a gentleman professes love where they do not feel it, and plenty keep their hearts concealed, when their affection is all the truer."

"There speaks the voice of experience!" Lizzy remarked, pulling away the cushion that was providing Georgiana with a modicum of protection. "Now, listen," she said, folding her hands in her lap and speaking as if Georgiana was a great deal younger than she, a knowledgeable, experienced bride of a few months. "It is obvious to all of us that Mr Lambert loves you, whether he is aware of it himself yet or not." She tilted her head to one side, considering the problem. "I think it likely he _is_ aware, although he perhaps does not feel he can offer you all that you deserve from marriage. Yes, he strikes me as far too humble for his own good. What he may lack in wealth and position he certainly makes up for in kindness and character, and that is the better of the deal, after all."

Darcy grumbled something indecipherable from his corner and Georgiana looked at him, suddenly anxious that despite his appearance to the contrary he did _not_ approve of the potential for a match between Georgiana and Mr Lambert. She bit her lip. It was so strange to think of matches and marriage so suddenly, yet Lizzy spoke so matter-of-factly as if it was merely a matter of time before this very happy day took place.

Elizabeth seemed to notice the shift and Georgiana's demeanour and got pointedly to her feet.

"I feel the need for another cup of tea. Shall I see about finding us a fresh pot, that we might be refreshed before venturing out into the cold again for the midnight service?"

She did not wait for either Georgiana or Darcy to respond but walked a circuitous route towards the door, pausing as she passed her husband to kiss him on the cheek and perhaps, Georgian thought, to whisper some words of encouragement into his ear. Perhaps she was mistaken, though, for as Lizzy closed the door behind her, Darcy dropped his gaze back to his book, and Georgiana felt as if the matter had been firmly drawn to a close. She was surprised, then, when her brother's voice reached her ears. He had not looked up from the page, as if he, too, could not master speaking and looking at his sister at the same time. She afforded him the same courtesy, fixing her eyes on the dancing flames and merely listening to the voice she treasured more than any other.

"I cannot hope to offer advice in matters of the heart, Georgie. You know me well enough to know my faults: I am not given to emotionalism or to interfering in the lives of others unless there is need." He paused, and Georgiana wondered if he, too, recalled the last time he had interfered in her life, and how very necessary it had been. "I confess I thought it would be some time yet before I had to consider losing you to marriage. Especially after…after Wickham."

Georgiana sucked in a breath. It was the first time she had heard George Wickham's name on her brother's lips in months. Between them, they had made an unspoken agreement not to speak of him again, and Georgiana felt her heart thudding painfully in her chest at her brother's knowing breach.

"Daniel Lambert is a different man, though. He is kind and selfless and I dare say Elizabeth is right in guessing that he cares for you. I can only speak to what I know of his past, but there are few men of my acquaintance who would so completely abandon their own plans and hopes for the future to serve their family after his brother's misfortune, and fewer still who would do so without complaint." He smiled, then, looking over at Georgiana at last. "I can think of nothing that would recommend him higher. If you care for him, Georgiana, and if he does care for you, then I would not think of opposing such a match." His smile grew wry. "Only please do not demand that I indulge in any more matchmaking. It is not a skill I am proficient in, and I have no desire to test my abilities further."

Georgiana laughed, then, leaping to her feet and scurrying to her brother's side, where she threw her arms around him in a warm embrace that communicated everything she had no words to say.


	27. Chapter 27

Daniel had been more often in the small parish church than in his own home that day, but he found, strangely, that he did not mind it. He ran one hand over the cold stone walls, marvelling at the thought of the many prayers that had been prayed within its boundary, and adding one or two of his own. Mother had taken to her bed at Daniel's insistence she did not need to accompany him. She had been exhausted from the journey and the trouble of escaping from London. She had not said that she and Mr Lambert had quarrelled, but she had not needed to. Daniel was well enough acquainted with his father's temper to know that it would have cost his mother dearly to upset the tradition of remaining in London for Christmas, even if they would have seen little of one another during the festivities. Daniel would do his best to make his mother comfortable for the duration of her stay. He was more grateful than he could say to Mr and Mrs Darcy for opening up their home to his family as well as himself, and made a note to say as much, should he be given the opportunity.

As if Providence herself had heard his request and set forth to answer it, the heavy church door creaked open and Mr and Mrs Darcy themselves stepped inside.

"Good evening," Elizabeth called, waving to Mr Lambert. She winced at the sound of her voice echoing back to her from the silent stone and buried her face in her husband's shoulder. Darcy merely smiled, leading her to their family pew and allowing Georgiana to follow after them.

Daniel was struck by how pretty she looked that evening. She was dressed entirely the same as she had been but a few hours earlier when last he saw her but something about her seemed different, a light in her eyes, a grace to her movements that made her all the more beautiful. He had already taken a step towards her before realising and correcting his path at the last moment so that it led him face to face with Mr Darcy instead.

"I must thank you, Mr Darcy, for inviting my mother and brother to join me in coming to Pemberley for Christmas Day. I hope you understand how much they are looking forward to it."

"Not at all!" Darcy said, rubbing his hands together against the cold of the empty church building. "As my wife says, the more the merrier." He pulled a wry smile suggesting that his own opinion differed somewhat and Daniel felt himself laugh.

"I confess I am generally more content with quietness than crowds, but nonetheless I am grateful."

Darcy's eyebrows lifted as if he, too, recognised something of a kindred spirit in Daniel. He slid his gaze along the pew until it rested on Georgiana's face. She was smiling eagerly at him and he felt as if there was some question she wished to ask him, or to have him ask her. His heart leapt but he quashed it, thinking, in his enthusiasm, he was misreading everything today.

"Good evening, Miss Darcy. I wondered if you would join us this evening! You are not exhausted after your afternoon's exertions?"

"It was hardly exertion," she replied, her eyes shining with merriment. "The children did all the work - ow!"

Mrs Darcy had elbowed Georgiana abruptly in the side.

"Georgiana worked very hard on the concert and rightfully deserves praise for its success," she said, proudly. "I trust you will allow her to do something similar again later in the year. Perhaps at Easter?"

"A fine idea," Daniel agreed, looking back at Georgiana, who blushed under this encouragement. "Although I do not want you to think that you are being pressed into service of the church at every opportunity!"

"Not at all." Georgiana smiled.

An awkward silence descended on the group, and Daniel was struggling to think of something else to say, anything other than what he dearly longed to say, but could not dream of uttering yet.

The door opened and other parishioners began to arrive, so he reluctantly excused himself and went to greet them, all the while unable to keep his gaze from straying periodically back to Georgiana and wondering if he dared to hope that her smiles for him conveyed the feeling he felt for her.

_There will be no help to be had by guessing or hoping_, he lectured himself, as the organist began to play and Daniel took his position at the front of the church, beginning the familiar solemn celebration of midnight mass.

The service passed in a blur, which fact he was thankful for. His anxiety over leading the first of the Christmas services was utterly gone, vanished in the face of his nerves over speaking of his heart to Georgiana Darcy, which task he felt a sudden conviction could not be put off for long. How could he spend the whole of Christmas day in her presence without knowing, for certain, if she cared for him as he cared for her - or, that she could learn to?

_I cannot imagine having won her heart yet, but if I might be permitted to try__…_

The service drew to a close with a hearty cheer of _Merry Christmas_ and as guests began to group in twos or threes and take their leave, he found his way back to the Darcy pew. Mr and Mrs Darcy were in conversation with their neighbours, discussing plans for Boxing Day and the delivery of alms to the poor of the parish. It was a conversation Daniel no doubt ought to have paid attention to, a great deal of his own responsibility consisting of caring for the needy and yet he could not help but be drawn to Georgiana's side. She was pale where before her cheeks had been rosy and pink and she kept her gaze fixed on her feet as if some disappointment has stolen over her during the service.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Darcy," Daniel said, by way of an opening. She raised her head, looking up at him in surprise.

"Oh, Merry Christmas," she replied. "Mr Lambert."

His name sounded strangely formal on her lips and he wished he knew her well enough to instruct her to call him Daniel, as his friends did, as he hoped one day a wife would.

"Miss Darcy, I wonder if I can ask your assistance for a moment? I am trying to sort through the sheet music for the morning, but the organist has left it in rather a mess and I am afraid I am a complete philistine when it comes to reading music…"

It was a lame excuse but a successful one, for Georgiana leapt to her feet and hurried after him towards the organ.

"This looks in order," she said, after a moment's work. She frowned, looking up at him. "I am not sure you needed my help…"

"No more am I," he confessed, glancing over her shoulder to where Mr and Mrs Darcy were deep in conversation with one another, now that their neighbours had left. "But I wished to speak to you without an audience. That is -" He frowned, wishing he had a better command of his words. Why was it that he could successfully deliver a sermon or summon up prayers at a moments' notice but this simple conversation escaped him?

"Miss Darcy -"

"Georgiana," she said, her eyes bright and cheeks reddening again. "Please call me Georgiana, Mr Lambert. Everybody does," she added, as if to downplay the significance of her request.

"Then you must call me Daniel," he replied. "Although I confess there are not too many people who call me by that name, especially not in Derbyshire." His lips quirked into a smile as he saw realisation grow in her features. "I hope that _you_ would call me Daniel, though, Miss - Georgiana - because…because…" His mouth was dry and he struggled to form even the simplest coherent sentence. "This is the worst possible time and place for such a conversation and yet I did not feel I could wait an hour longer before asking you - that is, before I told you that I -" He drew a breath, realising that the only way forward was to say, as simply and directly as he knew how, the truth. "I love you, Miss Darcy. Georgiana. It has happened so swiftly and so surprisingly that it scarcely seems real, but if Christmas is not the time for miracles then I don't know what is, and the fact that I am here, that I have met you, and that I feel confident enough to speak to you of this now is a miracle indeed."

He ducked his head.

"I do not imagine that you feel the same, and I make no pretence to expectation, only I hope you might not write me off altogether. I hope I might be given permission to try to win your heart."

"You need not try," Georgiana said, her hand slipping almost immediately into Daniel's. It was all the answer he required.


	28. Chapter 28

Christmas morning was cold and wet, but not even the most inclement of weather could dampen Lizzy's spirits as she sat down at the elegant breakfast table opposite her husband.

"Merry Christmas!" she declared, as he reached for a steaming cup of coffee.

"Merry Christmas," he replied, saluting her with his cup. "Although we have already exchanged that greeting at least three times so far this morning."

"And is there a limit on festive greetings?" she replied, undaunted and breaking into a laugh at the tiny smile he permitted in acknowledgement of her comment.

"You are happy then, I take it?" he asked, his voice gentle and filled with love.

She nodded, piling her plate with food.

"Happy…and hungry! Where is Georgiana?"

Lizzy was eager for her sister-in-law to appear for more reasons than that they might begin their meal. She had witnessed the whispered conversation that had taken place between Daniel and Georgiana the previous night at a distance and had been unwilling or unable to press Georgiana for details yet. Everybody had been so tired that upon their return to Pemberley they had all retired to their respective beds, eager to snatch a few hours' sleep before the morning and Lizzy had been forced to sit on her questions. _What did Mr Lambert say? What did you say? And has anything been agreed? _She fidgeted in her seat as if her eagerness to discover the truth made it impossible to sit still and Darcy shot her an amused grin.

"I am sure she will be just as eager to tell you what was discussed as you are to ask her," he remarked, looking remarkably unruffled for a gentleman whose only sister may just have become engaged. Lizzy opened her mouth to tell him as much but watched as his eyes darted to the door at the sound of footsteps - belonging to a servant and not his absent sister - and realised that he was just as eager to know the truth as she, although hiding it remarkably better.

"I do not see how he can fail to love her!" she declared, privately promising herself that if Daniel Lambert did intend on breaking Georgiana's heart, just as she had begun to open it again, then he would have Elizabeth to answer to.

"It has all happened rather quickly," Darcy murmured, surveying his own plate, and eventually abandoning propriety to begin. "We might as well start. She will be along soon I'm sure." He took a bite and swallowed. "I agree with you that it is impossible to think of him not loving her. The poor fellow could not conceal his heart so well as all that, and I wager even I saw through his feigned indifference. But -"

"But?" Lizzy squawked. "What _but_? If he loves her, and she loves him, why, there is nothing to lose!"

"You would have them married before the new year, I suppose," Darcy remarked, drily. "And before anyone is used to the idea." He did not say _until I have borne with the inevitable volcanic eruption from my aunt when she hears of this_. Lizzy pursed her lips. Lady Catherine de Bourgh had been no less amused by the notion of Darcy marrying a humble _Elizabeth Bennet_; she would surely not rejoice over a penniless curate. Lizzy swallowed. Mr Lambert was not penniless, exactly, and if Darcy's research was to be believed, his father was almost as much a gentleman as Darcy's own had been, albeit one who had fallen on hard times over the years.

The door to the dining room flew open and Georgiana, looking radiantly happy, slipped into her own seat opposite her brother.

"Good morning!" she said, with a beaming smile. "Merry Christmas!"

Neither Darcy nor Elizabeth replied, until at last Lizzy could stay silent no longer.

"Well?" she demanded, biting hard on her lip to keep from squealing. "Is that all you have to say, _M__erry Christmas_ as if you have not kept your brother and I on absolute tenterhooks for the last eight hours?"

"Have I?" Georgiana asked, although her smile betrayed that she knew precisely that she had and had rather enjoyed being the keeper of secrets for once. Particularly secrets that were so happy, at such a time as this. "I certainly did not mean -"

"You did!" Lizzy challenged her. "But I shall forgive you on the spot if you will only put us out of our misery immediately and tell us that Mr Lambert is as desperately in love with you as you are with him. Tell me, Georgiana, is all settled?"

"All is…almost settled," Georgiana said, looking a little pink-cheeked and nervous at delivering this news. "We have not spoken of - of _marriage_, but I am persuaded that he feels the same way that I do." She blinked, ruefully. "Of course, he has rather a lot to think about before that happens, with the Christmas services at church and the Boxing Day visits around the parish, and -"

"But he does care for you?" Lizzy persisted.

Georgiana said nothing, her eyes dropping to her plate. The smile she could not quite conceal betrayed her and Lizzy seized upon it, letting out a delighted, if a little unladylike, shriek.

"I knew it! I knew that you would be perfect for one another, from the very first moment I saw him -"

"My dear," Darcy put in. "Please do not revise history."

"Very well," Lizzy said, feeling a touch of heat in her own cheeks. "From the _second_ moment I saw him. That evening he dined here at Pemberley, I took one look at the two of you and thought there might be something, or the potential for something." She rubbed her hands together. "Wait until I tell Jane! Not even married half a year and I have succeeded in securing happiness for my sister-in-law. I have won our wager -" She clapped a hand over her mouth a moment too late and earned curious stares from both her husband and Georgiana.

"What wager?" Both asked, at once.

"Nothing!" Lizzy said, merrily. "Goodness me, look at the time! Hurry, both of you, and eat, for we shall have to leave early if we wish to arrive in plenty of time at the church." She eyed Georgiana with a knowing smile. "I know that you will certainly not care to be late on this of all mornings!"

Darcy groaned but obediently attended to his meal.

"Is this what we have to look forward to?" he grumbled, his voice muffled with chewing. "Being rushed out of the door of a morning in order to arrive early to church and prove our piety?"

Georgiana and Elizabeth did not answer him, but a merry round of laughter circulated the table, and everyone's spirits soared with the happiness of Christmas, of promises for the future, and of the joy of being together.


	29. Chapter 29

The rain eased enough to permit a short walk on Christmas afternoon, although Mr and Mrs Gardiner stayed inside to placate their children, who begged to be permitted to play by the fire. Robert and Mrs Lambert stayed with them, rounding out a merry party, who had quickly become more like old friends than new acquaintances, much to Daniel's surprise, and Georgiana's evident delight.

He walked alongside her, allowing Mr and Mrs Darcy to walk ahead of them at a brisker pace. Georgiana, it seemed, preferred to dawdle, to stop and point out various plants and tiny follies that had been constructed at her or her mother's request and watching carefully for his opinions. He delighted to hear her speak of anything and was content merely to be standing beside her. His sermon that morning had been a success, allaying all his fears and putting into perspective the many hours he had devoted to worrying over it. He had scarcely noticed the crowds of people pressed into the tiny church, for his eyes sought out only one person amidst the masses and it was Georgiana's approval he most longed for and received.

"So Robert will remain here, do you think?" she asked, returning to a comment his mother had let slip at dinner, that she wished for Robert to spend some time under the care of his brother, allowing her to return home to London before the end of the year. Daniel had been only too pleased with the arrangement, for, whilst he did not doubt Robert received expert care from the expensive London doctors, he did not think he was given as much freedom as might benefit him. This was a small village and the people in it were kind. Here, Robert might be able to build a life, as well as recover his health.

"Your brother has already been kind enough to give me the details of a doctor and is poised to investigate a nearby spa town that has some water treatments that might beneficial to Robert's health." He smiled, feeling more hope in that afternoon than he had done in years. "He shall never fully recover, barring a miracle, but he shall continue to do a little better I think and for that, I shall be grateful."

"He is clearly fond of you," Georgiana said, loyally. "And already begins to refer to the parsonage as _home_. I think you will be happy there."

"And you?" Daniel asked, unable to guard against the question he had been nursing in silence ever since the previous evening. "Would you be happy there, do you think?" He glanced around the elegant, expansive grounds of Pemberley and felt, all of a sudden, as if he had very little to offer Georgiana Darcy in the way of material possessions. All this and an invalid brother to help nurse. It was hardly what she deserved. His face fell, and he began to construct another question, one he had hoped never to have to ask, one releasing her from the promises they had not yet made before she had cause to feel beholden to him.

"I cannot think of a happier home to build our life in," Georgiana said, with a conscious or unconscious emphasis on the word _our_. She tugged lightly on Daniel's arm, biding him slow to a stop, and he glanced up to reassure himself that Darcy and Elizabeth were out of earshot but not far enough away to provoke question before turning back to meet Georgiana's eyes.

"You are still thinking of the future, then?" he asked, unable to keep a slow smile from creeping onto his face. "A future with me?" He drew a breath. "Will it be enough, do you think? Can you possibly be happy with a quiet life in the same village you have lived in since you were a child? You do not prefer to travel, to spend time in London, to marry someone with far greater prospects than I have?" His smile grew a little ashamed.

"It will be more than enough," Georgiana insisted, leaning close enough to him that he could do nothing other than kiss her. "I cannot think of a more perfect future, or a better Christmas present than the promise of it beginning, soon!"

_The End_

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_A/N - et voila! Thank you so much for reading - now I have to go and catch up on all your comments :) _

_Happy Christmas and see you in 2020 (!) with more stories to share xxx_


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